A general cargoship that was seized by Libyan rebels in February has now found itself at the centre of a drugs bust in Senegal.
The Senegalese government said the navy had intercepted the 1,350-dwt Asso 6 (built 1978), flying the Togo flag, 140 km off Dakar.
The operation was carried out by two frigates and naval special forces, supported by a patrol plane.
The ship and its seven crew —four Indians, a Mauritanian, a Syrian and a Libyan — were brought in to Dakar.
Customs and police officers said they later found 279 bags of hashish in a shipment of plaster.
These weighed on average 30 kg each, making a total of 8.3 tonnes.
It is not clear if the seafarers have been arrested.
African trade
AIS data shows the Asso 6 left the port of Safi in Morocco on 29 May. It had arrived there from Mauritania.
The vessel had been due to depart for Abidjan in the Ivory Coast on 13 June.
The Asso 6 hit the headlines in February when it was seized by Libyan rebel forces a day after peace talks produced an agreement on an interim government.
The ship was intercepted by the Libyan National Army's Sousse Marine Combat Company off Ras al-Hilal, within the militia's no-sail zone.
The Asso 6 is listed as operated by South Europe Maritime of Lebanon, which could not be contacted.
