FRENCH CUSTOMS SEIZE RECORD 20 TONNES OF CANNABIS

LILLE, France, Feb 17 (Reuters) - French customs officials said on
Wednesday they had seized 20 tonnes of cannabis resin from a boat they
boarded in the English Channel, the largest cannabis haul on French territory.

The discovery was the second big drugs seizure by French authorities in the
past few days after police raiding a suburban Paris warehouse at the
weekend and found 1.2 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a disused merry-go-round
and a van.

The officials said customs officers discovered the cannabis resin concealed
in the hold of an ageing fishing vessel, the Nemo, sailing under an
Estonian flag with a 14-strong crew, most of them from Russia, Poland and
Ukraine.

Investigators said they believed the drugs were from Morocco. The boat was
heading through the English Channel when it was stopped and boarded by
customs officials and ordered into the northern port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.