Spanish Customs Surveillance officers from Andalusia and Galicia intercepted the Dutch-flagged fishing vessel Nancy-II, about 40 metres long, after it was spotted from the air at 13:50 on 11 November 2010 some 70 miles off the Moroccan coast.[1] The aircraft report said the vessel was sailing a bearing of 270 at about 11 knots and might be heading to load hashish off the Atlantic coast of Morocco.[1]
The patrol vessel Gerifalte boarded the Nancy-II with the authorisation of the Dutch authorities.[1] Officers found a significant number of hashish bales scattered through the vessel, most of them in the hold, and seized the vessel and its cargo.[1]
Arrests in Cádiz
The three crew members, all Dutch nationals, were arrested on suspicion of smuggling and offences against public health.[1] The vessel was taken to the port of Cádiz, where it docked at 09:00 the next morning, and the vessel, drugs and detainees were placed at the disposal of the duty Investigating Magistrate’s Court in Cádiz.[1] The agency put the hashish resin at more than 20,000 kilos and called the TELENO operation the largest maritime anti-drug operation in ten years.[1]
