Marines arrested after drugs haul

Two serving Royal Marine commandos have been arrested with two former marines and two former soldiers by Customs officers and detectives who smashed a pounds 10m cannabis smuggling operation, it was disclosed last night.

Three tonnes of cannabis were seized at the end of a year-long operation when Customs boarded the 279-tonne Maltese-registered ship Simon de Danser more than 100 miles off the Portuguese coast. Later police said five people would appear before magistrates in Plymouth today. They were among a total of eight people arrested in dawn raids across Britain on Tuesday. The three others have been released, police said.