Sailing boat with six tonnes of hashish seized off Sicily
Italy's Guardia di Finanza intercepted a US-flagged sailing boat off Sicily on 13 June 2021 and seized six tonnes of hashish. Three Bulgarian crew members were arrested in the joint international operation.
🇮🇹 International waters of the Mediterranean off Sicily · Italy
Italy’s Guardia di Finanza intercepted a US-flagged sailing vessel carrying six tonnes of hashish off the coast of Sicily on 13 June 2021 and escorted it to the port of Palermo, where an extensive search was carried out.[1]The three crew members, all Bulgarian nationals, were arrested.[1][2]The Italian authorities put the street value of the drugs at up to 13 million euros.[1]
An international operation
The interception followed a tip from the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency about a Bulgarian organisation buying sailing boats in Turkey for hashish and cocaine trafficking; investigators had been watching two boats the group acquired in May.[2]The operation brought together the Spanish National Police with the British, Italian and Bulgarian police forces plus CITCO and MAOC-N, and air assets kept the vessel under surveillance for over 12 hours.[1][2]
Photos and video
Hashish bales fill the sailing boat's cabin. Photo: National Police via Europa PressPhoto details
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