670 kilos of hashish seized at sea, a fishing vessel blocked

Guardia di Finanza, Naval Air Operations Department of Palermo

PALERMO - The State Police and the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) have arrested five Tunisians on suspicion of criminal conspiracy, issued by the Palermo Public Prosecutor's Office - District Anti-Mafia Directorate. They are seriously suspected of conspiracy to engage in international drug trafficking. On the night of October 20, 2025, as part of joint operations between the State Police and the Trapani Guardia di Finanza's Naval Operations Section, aimed at combating migrant and drug trafficking along the Trapani province coastline, including by monitoring vessels heading from the coast toward international waters, personnel from the Trapani Flying Squad and the Palermo SISCO (Italian Coast Guard), coordinated by the Central Operations Service, detected the presence of a dinghy equipped with a powerful outboard motor in the waters off the city of Marsala (Trapani).

The encounter between the vessel and a Tunisian-flagged fishing vessel was documented.

Upon reaching international waters, the vessel was then detected by radar from the Palermo Air and Naval Operations Unit of the Guardia di Finanza, pre-alerted by the State Police investigative offices. At that point, the financial police documented the vessel's encounter with a Tunisian-flagged fishing vessel and noted the transfer of several large, blue packages from the fishing vessel to the dinghy. After the transfer, the dinghy returned to the Marsala coast, likely unaware of the constant surveillance by the Guardia di Finanza. Upon reaching territorial waters, it was stopped after a frantic high-speed chase. During the escape, the driver was observed attempting to discard some of the packages he was carrying, throwing them into the sea. The packages were promptly recovered by the finance police, who ascertained their contents, namely blocks of hashish with a total weight of over 160 kg.

The Montegobay International Convention

In close coordination with the State Police's investigative offices, the Finance Police then proceeded to seize the fishing vessel in international waters, pursuant to the Montegobay Convention. On this occasion, too, the fishing vessel attempted a reckless escape, during which it abandoned 11 packages containing over 600 kg of hashish, throwing them overboard. The escape ended a few miles from the outer limit of Tunisian territorial waters , when the Finance Police boarded and took control of the fishing vessel. The entire operation, conducted in collaboration between the State Police and the Guardia di Finanza, resulted in the seizure of over 670 kg of hashish. This is the largest hashish seizure in Trapani waters in recent decades. Both the driver of the vessel that departed from the Marsala coast and the four crew members of the fishing vessel, all Tunisian nationals, were arrested on suspicion of crime by the Palermo District Anti-Mafia Directorate, which also ordered the precautionary seizure of the two vessels involved in the transport of the large quantity of hashish.

The Milo Detention and Repatriation Centre

The restrictive measure was validated by the Preliminary Investigations Judge of the Trapani Court, who ordered the precautionary detention of four of the five Tunisians; a fifth Tunisian, a member of the fishing vessel's crew, was released and placed in the Milo Detention and Repatriation Center (TP), pending further determinations by the competent judicial authority. Criminal liability for the listed conduct will be determined only after any final judgments have been issued, in accordance with the constitutional principle of the presumption of innocence.

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