On March 5, nearly 1.3 tonnes of processed cannabis was seized by Greek authorities off a fishing vessel near the Southern Island of Crete.
What happened?
Based on inputs, the Greece coast guard intercepted a suspicious foreign flagged fishing vessel ‘Celine Star’ off the southern island of Crete and seized about 1.3 tonnes of processed cannabis. The captain and four crew members were arrested and taken into custody.
Illegal drug busting operation
The seizure of the drug bust culminated as a result of a three-day operation and the Greek authorities received an input from the French customs about a suspicious vessel carrying illegal cargo off the southern island of Crete.
Vessel tries to escape
The drug busting operation involved four coast guard patrol vessels and two planes, one belonging to Frontex – the European border and coast guard agency. The suspect fishing boat was spotted by the Frontex aircraft about 60 nautical miles southeast off Crete.
The fishing boat, which had sailed from Syria towards an undisclosed European port, attempted to flee unsuccessfully and was escorted to the port of Ierapetra in Crete, where checks revealed a load of cannabis, worth about 15 million euros ($18.5 million).
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Source: Reuters
