Global Ganja Report

The French navy announced Sept. 12 that it had made a record cannabis seizure in the Mediterranean sea after intercepting a ship carrying 20 tons, with an estimated value of 50 million euros. "To the best of our knowledge it is the biggest seizure by the French state in the Mediterranean," vice-admiral Yves Joly told reporters in Toulon. The Tanzania-flagged Luna-S was boarded by French naval forces in international waters between Italy and Algeria. The eight-member crew, tentatively identified as Syrians, set the cannabis on fire as the French patrol ship approached, and dramatic photos were released of smoke rising from the deck. The Luna-S had left Morocco days earlier. Tanzanian authorities say they are investigating the ship, which was registered to a company in the Marshall Islands. 

Just one week earlier, another Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship, the Gold Star, was intercepted by a joint Italian-Maltese force loaded with an even bigger cannabis haul—an estimated 30 tons. The crew likewise managed to burn some of the herbal cargo before being boarded. The nine crew members will face charges in Malta. (Tanzania Daily News, Sept. 13; AFP, Sept. 12; Marine Log, Sept. 11; gCaptain, Setp. 8)

Cross-post to High Times

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