On Friday, September 6, 2013, the Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship Gold Star caught fire in international waters about 30 nautical miles north of Malta while carrying an estimated 30 tons of hashish, and Italian investigators said the crew set the blaze to destroy the evidence. Two days later a second Tanzanian-flagged ship, the Luna S, was set on fire by its crew as the French Navy closed in, making it one of the strangest weeks in Mediterranean drug enforcement.
What Happened
Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, the financial police, had received reports that the Gold Star was carrying drugs. According to Global News, citing Malta Today, Italian authorities had permission to board when the nine-person crew allegedly set the ship alight and abandoned it. The Armed Forces of Malta picked up the ship’s emergency message and sent an inshore patrol vessel, a fast interceptor, an offshore patrol vessel and an Alouette III helicopter, Marine Log reported. A nearby Guardia di Finanza boat picked up the crew.
The Gold Star was a 1975-built general cargo ship of 2,108 deadweight tons. Maltese forces declared the fire out by noon on Saturday, September 7, handed the ship to Italy that afternoon, and a supply tug towed it to Sicily. The trade site gCaptain noted that the 30-ton figure came from Italian investigators.
What Happened Next
The ship was brought into the port of Pozzallo, Sicily. Investigators recovered about seven tons of hashish, some intact and some burned, Radio RTM reported on September 12. A judge in Modica kept all nine crew members in custody on drug charges. The captain accepted responsibility for the fire and alone faced an added charge of endangering the safety of shipping; the other crew members, including two young Indian trainees, said they had not known what was in the hold. We could not find a documented final verdict.
On Sunday, September 8, a French customs plane spotted the Luna S, an 82-meter Tanzanian-flagged freighter, off Algeria. When the patrol vessel Commandant Birot approached, the crew lit incendiary devices and abandoned ship. French sailors, helped by Algerian units, saved the vessel, which held about 20 tons of cannabis resin, much of it burned, according to Mer et Marine. Its eight crew members were detained, and the hulk sat at the Toulon naval base for about a decade.
Legacy
Two burning freighters in three days showed how far smuggling crews would go to destroy evidence. More of our coverage of the drug war and legalization is on our cannabis news page in our war on drugs history and in our marijuana history section.
Gold Star Cannabis Ship Fire FAQ
When did the Gold Star catch fire?
Friday, September 6, 2013, about 30 nautical miles north of Malta. The fire was out by noon the next day.
How much cannabis was on the ship?
Italian authorities estimated 30 tons of hashish. About seven tons were recovered after the fire.
What happened to the crew?
All nine were rescued and arrested, and a Sicilian judge kept them in custody. Their trial outcome is not documented in sources we could find.
Originally reported by The Weed Street Journal; rewritten and updated in October 2026 with what happened next.
