Nineteen Filipino seafarers are currently detained in Mexico for allegedly violating the country’s anti-illegal drug laws, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced yesterday.
The seafarers came from the Cypriot-owned vessel UBC Savannah. According to maritime publication Maritime Bulletin, Mexican authorities allegedly found 225 kilos of cocaine inside the ship on Sunday, when it was docked in the Gulf of Mexico’s Altamira port. The drugs were allegedly buried under pieces of ore, the ship’s cargo. The vessel arrived from Colombia on Tuesday last week.
The DFA said that the seafarers are “in good spirits” and that their families have already been informed of what happened. No charges have been filed against them.
The department will provide them assistance but it said that the seafarers would have to face the consequences of their actions if found guilty.
“However, should they be found to be guilty by the proper court of the charges against them, they have to face the legal consequences of their actions. The public is likewise reminded that the Philippine government, under the leadership of the President Rodrigo R. Duterte, expects all Filipinos to follow the laws of their countries of destination,” the department said.
The DFA said that it is already coordinating with the law firm that’s representing the seafarers.
Other than the Filipinos, three Polish seafarers from the same ship were also detained.
According to The Economist, a quarter of the world’s ship crew members are Filipinos, making the Philippines the biggest source of mariners. Shipping companies started hiring Filipinos in the 1970s when they could no longer afford to hire staff from Western countries.
Read more from Coconuts Manila here.
Reader Interactions