LONDON: Three Dutch nationals were arrested on Friday off the coast of southern Spain with over 20 tons of marijuana, police reported. The cannabis was seized by authorities and the citizens arrested. The Dutch were discovered with the drug, which was in compressed resin form, aboard the Nancy II fishing vessel some 90 kilometers off the coast after the group had picked up the shipment in Morocco. According to Spanish customs officials, the bust was the largest in over a decade and among the top five biggest in the country's history. Authorities said they had monitored the boat since it docked in northern Spain earlier this month before sailing on to Morocco. The three Dutch crew members are to appear in court in the southern port of Cadiz. The drug trade from Morocco is large and growing. Morocco is known for its hashish and the ability to smoke in the Rif mountains, which has seen both the Moroccan governments and Europe attempt to crack down on the illicit trade in marijuana. BM
