CAIRO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian naval forces thwarted on Wednesday the smuggling of eight tons of illicit drugs in the western coasts.

In a statement, the armed forces said that the department of drug control got information about the smuggling operation and monitored the suspected fishing boat while sailing from Baltim in Kafr el-Sheikh governorate to the northern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

After a chase in the sea, the boat was caught and its crew were arrested, the statement said.

The army said that the raid was carried out in cooperation with police forces.

Egypt suffers a high rate of drug smuggling, abusing and addiction with about 10.4 percent of the population aged from 15 to 65 taking drugs, according to Egypt's Drug Control and Addiction Treatment Fund.