STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish police have confiscated a 16th century bronze cannon from a barge owner who used the two-ton weapon as ballast in his vessel.

The 12-foot cannon was on a barge moored at a small island near Stockholm. Police hired an ice-breaker to reach it Tuesday because the water was frozen solid by freezing temperatures, spokesman Johan Lindborg said on Wednesday.

The barge's 50-year-old owner, a professional diver and boatyard owner, is under investigation for breaking a Swedish law which says that all antiques found in the sea or ground have to be handed over to the state in return for compensation.

If found guilty, he could face up to four years in jail, Lindborg said.

Reuters