Amid the raging war in Ukraine against Russian forces for two years, one Ukrainian officer seemingly found an opportunity for some "illicit trade." Spanish police managed to dismantle a drug trafficking network that employed elite Ukrainian pilots to transport drugs across the Strait of Gibraltar on clandestine nighttime flights. Security forces arrested two officers while attempting to flee after landing a helicopter in a field near "Chiclana de la Frontera" in southern Spain. One of the pilots was identified as Viktor Blaha, a former colonel in the Ukrainian police, accused of flying the helicopter carrying just under 800 kilograms of cannabis, according to the Telegraph.
During the operation, which occurred in January and was only just revealed, nine people were arrested, including two experienced pilots. It is also believed that among the detainees were mechanics who serviced the helicopters using parts brought from former Soviet Union countries. The smuggling route the gang took involved flying across the strait to northern Morocco, where the drugs were loaded, with the helicopter then returning to Spain while flying at a relatively low altitude, no more than 30 meters above sea level, without using lights and turning off navigation systems to avoid electronic detection.
According to investigators, flying the helicopter in this manner makes it virtually undetectable because mountains cause a loss of the waves usually picked up by Spanish radars. Regarding the fees charged by the smugglers, investigators revealed that they could reach around 150,000 euros per trip. They also explained that approximately 30 bundles of hashish were stored in a compartment behind the pilot after removing the rear seats. It is noted that the value of an 800-kilogram shipment of hashish could reach about 4 million euros in Spain.
