Macedonia seizes large cannabis load amid trafficking spike

SKOPJE, Macedonia – Customs officers in Macedonia say they have seized more than 300 kilograms of cannabis in a truck, hidden in pallets loaded with sacks of rice, at a border crossing with Greece.

The customs office said Tuesday that the drugs, bound for Western Europe, had an estimated street value of 800,000 euros ($990,000). The 36-year-old Greek truck driver, whose name wasn't provided, was arrested on trafficking charges.

The office said the vehicle had started out in Athens and that details of the case had been forwarded to a prosecutor's office.

Macedonia is a major transit point for international drug traffickers, including the transport of heroin from southwest Asia to Europe, and has recently seen a spike in cannabis trafficking, according to reports from European Union monitoring agencies.