Cocaine found on Cypriot-flagged ship

Twenty-two seamen on board the Cyprus-flagged UBC Savannah have been detained in Mexico on suspicion of illegal drug trafficking.

Foreign media said 19 Filipinos and three Polish nationals were detained by Mexican law enforcement after cocaine was said to have been discovered on board the bulk carrier, which operates under a Cyprus flag.

The ship, which is owned and managed by Limassol-based Athena Marine, departed from Barranquilla, Colombia, on July 23, and docked at Altamira port in the Gulf of Mexico five days later.

Reports said during inspection, 227 packages of suspected cocaine weighing 225 kilos were found stashed away, hidden in a cargo hold buried in ore rock minerals.

It was unclear whether the crewmen would be charged with drug trafficking, while their detention was based on suspicion of violating drug laws in Mexico.