ROME:It’s a tale to make any self-respecting pothead weep.

More than 13 tons of hashish sunk to the bottom of the Mediterranean after smugglers carrying the potent stash were intercepted by boats working for Triton, the EU’s coastal patrol operation said Friday. Triton, charged with looking out for people-traffickers and their human cargoes, spotted the suspicious 25-meter fishing boat on Thursday.

Officers from the Spanish Civil Guard and Italy’s Financial Police tailed it and boarded it about 100 nautical miles (185km) to the south of Sardinia, arresting nine Egyptians.

The officers were able to count 370 packets of hashish containing just under 15 tons of the powerful form of cannabis before they realized that the boat was holed in its engine room and about to sink.