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Montenegro's defense ministry says the army has discovered drugs hidden on a navy training ship ahead of its planned journey to Turkey and Greece.

The ministry says the military police searched the Jadran, or the Adriatic, early Friday after learning that certain criminal gangs were planning to use it to smuggle drugs.

According to a statement from the ministry, dozens of kilograms (pounds) of suspected drugs were found during the search at the Tivat harbor and legal proceedings are underway.

The ship has been at the center of a dispute between the small Balkan country and neighboring Croatia, which claims ownership to it following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

It was not immediately clear when the 86-year-old ship will set off on the planned training trip with 42 students.