Italian police has seized around 13 tons of hashish aboard a Panamanian-flagged ship identified as Munzur.
The ship was boarded by Italian Air-Naval Command teams on Wednesday, some 10 miles northeast of the island of Pantalleria, near Sicily.
Following an inspection of the cargo ship, the police found 500 packages of hashish weighing 13 tons. The ship was detained and taken to the port of Palermno where investigation is underway with the objective of determining the responsible parties.
The ship’s crew of 11 members, of Ukrainian and Georgian nationality, have also been detained.
As disclosed, the drug haul forms part of an international anti-drug trafficking operation known as Frontex, Tritor 2015.
The 3,331 DWT ship was built in 2008 and is owned and operated by Anmar International Shipping Mersin from Turkey.
World Maritime News Staff