Crew members of the general cargo ship ELG have been arrested after Spanish customs officials found 10 tons of hashish aboard the vessel.

According to the Spanish Tax Agency, the Moldova-flagged vessel was intercepted on June 17 some 98 miles southeast of Cartagena with the illicit cargo that has a street value of around EUR 20 million (USD 22 million).

The officials arrested eight seafarers aboard the ship, all of whom are of Ukrainian nationality.

The cargo ship was under surveillance for some six months after customs officials in Murcia started suspecting that the vessel was being used for drug smuggling operations.

The vessel and its crew were escorted to the port of Cartagena, where they were placed at the disposal of the judicial authority.

World Maritime News Staff