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Ship seized for drug trafficing

The captain, 2nd officer and manger of the 'Throne' appeared in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Virtual Court on May 15, charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The three men appeared before Magistrate Aden Stroude in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court and the matter has been adjourned to May 29. On April 29, an intelligence-led exercise was conducted by the Special Investigations Unit, spearheaded by Supt. Francis, coordinated by Sgt Kelly and included officers of the Western Division. They boarded the 'Throne' and commenced a thorough search, during which, 475.9 kilogrammes of cocaine was allegedly discovered and seized. The officers arrested the captain of the vessel and 18 crew members who are all foreign nationals. On May 12, advice was obtained and received from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mr. Roger Gaspard, that the following suspects be jointly charged for trafficking in dangerous drugs: 1. Captain of the vessel, Shaikh Arif Noor Mohammed age 31, of, 15 Madhubhal Mill Compound Gujarati, India; 2. Second officer of the vessel, Chandan Kumar Singh, age 25, of Abgila Patna Binar, India; and 3. Manager of the vessel, Behzat Tokgoz, age 42, of, Ankara, Turkey. The DPP has advised that the vessel was to be seized as an exhibit and be subject to forfeiture as an instrumentality of the crime under the Proceeds of Crime Act, Chapter 11:27. Section 58 of the Police Service Act will be initiated through the court to obtain an order for its disposal via sale and for funds to be deposited into an interest bearing account pending the outcome of the substantive trafficking charge.

Cocaine found sealed in fuel tank

The 'Throne' was intercepted by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and Special Forces in the morning of April 28, 2020 in the Caribbean Sea northwest of northern Trinidad in international waters. About 400 kilos of cocaine were found hidden in a special made crypt inside a fuel tank, sealed in watertight packages. The whole crew was arrested and interrogated, and the ship was taken to La Retraite, Chaguaramas, where it has been anchored since. It was en route from Guayaquil to Belem.

Repairs finished, ship renamed Throne

Repairs of the "Tuna 1" at the Yasarsan Shipyard in Altinova were progressing very slowly due to the financial difficulties of the owners with payment of shipyard expenses. The vessel left tthe Tuzla shipyard after repaiirs on Nov 9 for sea trials. The ship was moored off Yalova on Nov 19 in pos. 40° 40.68' N 029° 18.45' E. It was now registered in Palau and renamed 'Throne'. After trials and approvals were finished, she left port and arrived in Istanbul on Dec 10 at 6.40 p.m. She sailed on to Izmir on Dec 11 and arrived in Izmir on Dec 13.