Ukrainian sailors detained in Spain on suspicion of drug smuggling are kept in a detention institution of the city of Almería and are in a satisfactory condition, the a department head of the Consular Service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine Vasyl Kyrylych told Radio Liberty.
According to him, the Ukrainian consul maintains constant contact with the lawyer and the Spanish law enforcement agencies in this case.
“The detainees are provided with a state lawyer, as well as with a Russian-speaking interpreter… The detainees are in a satisfactory condition, they do not complain about the confinement conditions and sanitary and hygienic conditions, they have the opportunity to communicate with relatives in Ukraine,” Kyrylych said.
He noted that according to preliminary information, the case of Ukrainian seamen will be transferred to the court of first instance of the city of Madrid.
According to the Maritime bulletin, on August 8, 2017, Spanish law enforcement officers detained the Lady Boss vessel which sailed under the flag of the Comoros, whose crew included 11 Ukrainians and two Bulgarians. The detention took place in international waters near the Spanish port of Almeria based on the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and with the consent of the flag state of the vessel. During the search on board, 600 sacks of hashish weighing around 18 tonnes were found.
