Austrian police seize large haul of cannabis in camping van on highway, arrest 2 Italians

10/27/2013

VIENNA — Authorities have seized about 1,100 pounds of cannabis during a routine check on a camping van entering southern Austria from Slovenia. Two Italian men were arrested.

Police in Carinthia province said the drugs — divided into 500 packages — were hidden inside the roof of the vehicle, which was stopped Saturday afternoon by a patrol on the A11 highway. A sniffer dog alerted officials to the stash, and the van was taken to a near police station and searched.

Sunday’s police statement says the drugs had an estimated street value of $6.9 million.

It wasn’t immediately clear where the drugs came from and where the Italian driver and passenger were heading. Authorities loaded the drugs into 50 garbage sacks and seized them.