Greece's coast guard seizes $18.5mn worth of cannabis from fishing vessel

Greece's coast guard has seized 1.3 tons of cannabis hidden aboard a foreign-flagged fishing vessel off the Island of Crete. The cannabis has a value of €15 million (US$18.5 million). The seizure followed a three-day operation which was launched after French customs informed Greek authorities of the suspect ship ‘Celine Star’, which was potentially carrying illegal cargo. The vessel, which sailed from Syria, attempted to flee but was escorted to the port of Lerapetra, where the cannabis was discovered. The captain and four-member crew were arrested. The operation involved four Coast Guard patrol vessels and two planes, one of which belonged to the European border and coast guard agency Frontex.