Dagga washes up on beach after boats sink

Published Mar 30, 2005

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Ziguinchor, Senegal - Police searching for victims of a boating accident that killed seven people said on Tuesday found hundreds of kilograms of marijuana swept up on a southern beach of Senegal, leading them to think the two might be linked.

Regional police chief Mamadou Dieme said police initially blamed high waves when three canoes carrying about 50 fishermen and market women capsized off the village of Oussouye in southwest Senegal on Saturday.

Rescuers recovered seven bodies but at least one fisherman still was missing on Tuesday, Dieme said. About 40 people were saved.

Such accidents are common in that area, where storms often create giant waves in the Atlantic Ocean.

But then sacks found to hold 584kg of marijuana were carried back to the beach by tides, leading officials to wonder if the canoes had not been overloaded with the illicit cargo.

"There were seven bags all filled to the brim with Indian hemp," he said, making officials believe "that the merchandise was on one of the boats that overturned".

He said they were questioning survivors. - Sapa-AP

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