Freighter carrying 20 tons of hashish intercepted, all crew arrested, says a news article published in Maritime Bulletin by Mikhail Voytenko.
Spanish joint forces of police and customs in action
General cargo ship NATALIA was intercepted by Spanish joint forces of police and customs some 40 nm south of Feurteventura island, Canaries, on Aug 8, on suspicion of narcotics trafficking.
Ship suffers from water ingress
The ship, en route from Lebanon via Iskenderun Turkey to Lagos Nigeria, was found by enforcement team to be in a state of emergency, suffering from water ingress and machinery breakdowns.
Further action by the police
NATALIA was taken to Las Palmas and docked there, it took quite some time and efforts to secure her safety.
She was thoroughly searched, 638 bales containing nearky 20 tons of hashish were found hidden in cargo hold or holds, among bags with legal cargo.
11 all-Syrian crew were arrested. Investigation is ongoing, ship’s under arrest.
Details of the vessel
General cargo ship NATALIA, IMO 8113592, dwt 4792, built 1983, flag Palau, manager?
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Source: Maritime Bulletin
