Drug smugglers jailed

THREE men have been jailed for using a gyrocopter to transport drugs from Morocco to Spain.

A Malaga Provincial court found the defendants guilty of crimes against public health after hearing that they used the aircraft to carry 115 kilos of hashish resin, worth €169,500 on the black market.

Police investigators discovered that two men had been carrying out trials with the gyrocopter in November 2012 and planned to carry out an operation on December 31 of that year. The aircraft was spotted on the arranged day overflying Torreguadiaro and intercepted by the Guardia Civil when it landed in the Ronda area.

 Officers found the drugs on board and the third man, the pilot, admitted to being employed to transport them. Further searches of properties linked to the three suspects led to confiscation of money, mobile phones, noted coordinates, a vehicle and two trailers.

The group leader was sentenced to five years and eight months in jail and fined €200,000 while the other two men received sentences of 4.5 years and €170,000 and three years and five months and €130,000 respectively.