Police arrested two Albanians aboard a rubber dinghy off the southern Italian coast on Friday and impounded 600 kilogrammes of marijuana found floating nearby.
The drugs were found in 21 packages in international waters off Bari after an Italian tax police aerial and sea patrol located the dinghy in coordination with the European Union border and coastguard agency Frontex.
The two Albanians said they had been drifting for two days after the 10-metre dinghy's outboard motor broke down.
Police said they believe the suspects threw the marijuana overboard when they saw the patrol boats arriving.
A tax police patrol vessel towed the dinghy to shore and impounded the boat.
The Albanians, aged 26 and 35, face international drugs trafficking charges, police said.
