Skip to main content

DRUG BUST - 10 tons of Cannabis - June 2018.


Italy’s Guardia di Finanza (GDF) finance police boarded and searched a Dutch Flag fishing vessel QUEST around 130 nautical miles southeast of Sicily after tracking the vessel from the air for two days, seizing over 10 tonnes of cannabis resin worth up to 20 million euros in a dramatic high-seas operation, arresting all nine crew members and confiscating the vessel on Thursday 7th June.

The GDF said that the drugs recovered from the boat were of a sufficiently high quality that it had a market value of between 15-20 million euros ($17.7 million-$23.6 million).

Italian Newspaper La Repubblica said that the ringleader was a Maltese man, who it named as David Bonello. The Italian news outlet had initially said three of the nine arrested were Maltese, only to revise that as more information surfaced.  
Italian media said the boat had set sail from Malta and had picked up the drugs after a rendezvous with dealers off the coast of Morocco and Algeria. La Repubblica newspaper said that criminals in Libya had overseen the operation.
The vessel was captained by a Romanian, with Mr Bonello allegedly its second-in-command and trafficking ringleader, according to La Repubblica newspaper.
Two Egyptians, two Ukrainians, one Dutchman, a Croatian and an Italian made up the rest of the crew, the news outlet said. The latter previously served as an officer in Italy's prison system before being kicked out after being suspected of robbery.
Below images of QUEST arrested at Catania, Sicily after she was escorted by GDF Vessels -



Vessel entered Valletta, Malta on Sunday 18th March as SEA VIEW berthing at Church Wharf alongside other vessels (seen below) -

She was seen berthed at MMH Facilities as SEA VIEW on Sunday 20th May -

And she left Valletta as QUEST on Tuesday 22nd May 2018 taking a pilot at 1906 hrs stating her next port of call is Bizerte, Tunisia.

Photos by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos - www.maltashipphotos.com





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VALLETTA CRUISE PORT -  Week 28 of 2018 . Interesting Week seeing different types of ships with cruise liners Aerial Image of GRAND HARBOUR, Malta back to 8th December 2009 Sunday 8th July, 2018. At 2210 hrs the 2007 built MLT flag passenger ship  ARTEMIS  left Valletta from  Pinto 4 wharf. Wednesday 11th July, 2018. From 0614 to 1733 hrs the 2018 built  MSC SEAVIEW  was at Valletta berthed at Pinto 1 and 2 wharves.   From 0628 to 1703 hrs the  the 1998 built  VISION OF THE SEAS was at Valletta berthed at Pinto 4 and 5 wharves . Vessel  was represented in Malta by SMS Shipping (http://www.sms.com.mt) Thursday 12th July, 2018. From 0514 to 2147 hrs the 2000 built BMU flag cruise liner OCEANA  was at  Valletta berthed at  Pinto 1 and 2 wharves. Vessel was represented in Malta by Malta Cruise Services, a division of Mifsud  Brothers Ltd - ( http://www.mbl.com.mt/) ...
Post a Comment
Read more
DRYDOCKING - Ferry RIGEL II at Malta - 06.03.2018. The 1980 built CYP flag ferry RIGEL II  left Valletta (Grand Harbour), Malta from Palumbo Malta Shipyard Dock 4 on Monday 12th March 2018 assisted by 1 local SEA SALVOR with 1 pilot aboard while 1 Pilot was assisting the dock master at the Dock. She was built in Sweden by Oresundsvarvet Landskona as Yard Number 278 launched as VISBY for Rederi AB Gotland. During  1990 the   VISBY was chartered to UK   based ferry operator Sealink British Ferries.   Following a major refit atTilbury, the ferry entered service in March 1990 as the FELICITY.  The FELICITY was renamed STENA FELICITY   in 1991 following the acquisition of Sealink British Ferries by Stena Line.  In 1997 the charter of the STENA FELICITY  ended of which her place on the Fishguard route was taken by another ferry the KONINGIN BEATRIX. Following a refit and rebuild in Germany, the vessel re-entered Gotl...
Post a Comment
Read more
Last Voyage - SEVEN OSPREY at Malta - 05.01 - 17.02.2018. The 1984 built LBR flag diving and light construction  vessel SEVEN OSPREY  left Valletta (Grand Harbour), Malta on Saturday 17th February, 2018 from Bormla Wharf at Palumbo Malta Shipyard Ltd after she entered Valletta on Friday 5th January berthing at the Mediterranean Maritime Hub (MMH) and shifted to Palumbo on Saturday 6th January. She was built as the SEACOM until January 1986, NORSKALD until January 1990, SEAWAY OSPREY until February 2006 and ACERY OSPREY until January 2013 and she was the oldest ship in versatile and modern fleet of Subsea 7.   Below images are of her entering Valletta, back on Friday 5th January, 2018 -  Below images are of her shifting at Valletta, back on Saturday 6th January, 2018 -  Below images are of her leaving Valletta on Saturday 17th February, 2018 -  Photos by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these ima...
Post a Comment
Read more