Maldives fishermen in drugs haul

Locals are said to have been concerned by the size of the cache

A group of fishermen in The Maldives got more than they bargained for when they reeled in the country's largest ever drugs haul, local media reports.

The lobster catchers found 1,697 plastic bags packed with cannabis in a lagoon, Haveeru news agency reported.

The drugs on the ocean floor weighed in at over 1.6 tons in total.

Police are investigating the incident. Drug smuggling in the island paradise is punishable by death, although no-one has ever been executed for the crime.

According to the Haveeru Daily newspaper the scale of the drugs haul has caused tension among local people who are insisting that police must destroy it in a transparent manner.