Smugglers torch 30 tons of hashish on the Gold Star off Sicily; nine crew arrested
The crew of the Tanzania-registered MV Gold Star set fire to 30 tons of hashish resin after Italian and Maltese authorities approached the ship north of Malta on 6 September 2013. All nine crew members were rescued and arrested, and the burned vessel was towed to Syracuse, Sicily, for investigation.
🇮🇹 waters about 30 nautical miles north of Malta; vessel towed to Syracuse, Sicily · Italy
Italy’s Guardia di Finanza had been monitoring the Tanzania-registered cargo ship Gold Star after a
tip that it carried a large drug load.[1]When Italian and Maltese government boats approached it
for inspection on Friday afternoon, the nine crew members set fire to the cargo and jumped
overboard.[2]
Rescue, arrests and tow
All nine crew members were rescued from the sea and arrested.[2]The vessel burned for more than
a day before the flames were put out around noon on Saturday.[1][2]The Maltese armed forces handed
the ship to Italian authorities that afternoon, and the tug Nos Taurus towed it to Syracuse, Sicily,
where the rescued men were questioned.[1][2]
A 30-ton load
The search of the hold revealed 30 tons of hashish resin, which the maritime account says had been
loaded in Turkey.[1]The Times of Malta estimated the shipment’s street value at 300 million
euros.[2]
Photos and video
Aerial image of the Gold Star ablaze after its crew set the hashish cargo on fire.Photo details
The Times of Malta, via NPR, estimated the load's street value at 300 million euros, while the maritime account cited a US$78 million estimate for the same shipment.
The maritime account alone says the hashish was loaded in Turkey; the NPR account gives no loading point.
The opened sources place the interception only as about 30 nautical miles north of Malta, with no exact coordinates.
Carabinieri of the Gorizia company found a 37-year-old man smoking a joint on the second floor of the disused Albero alla Transalpina in via Giuseppe Caprin on 10 November 2026 and seized more than two grams of marijuana. The man was taken to the company offices and reported to the Prefecture of Gorizia for possession of drugs for personal use; no arrest was reported.
Guardia di Finanza officers stopped a car in Lario Intelvese and recovered 21.2 grams of hashish thrown away by one of five youths. The youth was reported to the judicial authority for possession for dealing and the drugs were seized.
Carabinieri from the Donori station stopped two unemployed 20-year-olds from Ussana in a car and found a small amount of hashish and a packet of benzodiazepine medicines without a prescription. The pair were reported to the administrative authority and the driver lost his licence; nobody was arrested.
Carabinieri stopped a 35-year-old from Rieti at a checkpoint on State Road 4 Salaria by the disused ex Bosi industrial area in Cittaducale and found about 12 grams of hashish, a precision scale and packaging material in his car and home. He was released pending trial and reported to the prosecutor in Rieti on suspicion of holding drugs for sale.
