Mexican authorities have released the Polish master of a multipurpose ship after he spent 20 months in jail following a drugs bust.
Andrzej Lasota, 63, was arrested in July 2019 when 240 kg of cocaine was found on the 32,000-dwt UBC Savannah (built 2000) at Altamira.
He faced trafficking charges but the case is believed not to have come to trial.
Nineteen Filipinos and two other Polish seafarers had been detained, but all except Lasota were released two months later.
Finally free
Cyprus-based ship manager Intership Navigation said in a statement: "After 592 days behind bars, Captain Andrzej Lasota is finally free."
"The news of Captain Lasota’s release came as a tremendous relief to his family, Intership and both the Polish and Cypriot authorities who have been campaigning tirelessly for his release," the company added.
Intership said Lasota was arrested due to alleged "negligence in failing to be aware that the ship he commanded may have been carrying prohibited substances".
After a number of hearings were postponed, he has now found justice, Intership believes.
"This case has highlighted, once again, the injustice of criminalising innocent seafarers," the company said.
Cyprus' deputy shipping ministry said that although the ship's crew briefed the Mexican authorities on the location of the drugs, Lasota was nevertheless arrested and detained by the Mexican authorities.
"From the first moment of his arrest, the Republic of Cyprus made diplomatic representations to the government of Mexico with verbal communications through the diplomatic channel, as well as through the delegation of the European Union in Mexico seeking the release of Captain Lasota," the ministry added, according to the Financial Mirror.
Coronavirus complications
TradeWinds has previously reported that hearings were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lasota had lost 60 kg in weight by last summer after a transfer to the Tepic high-security prison, which is notorious for housing drug-cartel members.
The vessel had previously visited Barranquilla in Colombia.
After its arrival in Mexico, Lasota immediately suspended discharging after drugs were spotted buried under several thousand tonnes of petcoke coal, and reported the findings to the Mexican authorities.
The UBC Savannah was one of three ships detained in Mexico under similar circumstances at that time.
The other two were the 38,000-dwt UBC Tokyo (built 2005), arrested in Altamira in September 2019 with 50 kg of cocaine, and the 54,042-dwt Delphi Ranger (built 2009), which is managed by Greece’s Enterprise Shipping & Trading.
If found guilty, the captain could have faced prolonged imprisonment, ranging from 10 to 20 years.
