North Korean crew could face 6 years in jail: Panama
19 July 2013 11:12 PM GMT
North Korean sailors whose dilapidated ship was halted near the Panama Canal and found to be carrying military equipment could face up to six years in jail, a prosecutor has said. The 35-man crew of the Chong Chon Gang — which was stopped as it approached the major waterway last Friday — are in custody at a former US military base in the port of Manzanillo in northern Panama.
The Soviet-era weaponry, discovered among tonnes of sugar during an anti-drugs search, belongs to Cuba and was being taken to North Korea for repair, the communist allies have said.
Panamanian anti-drugs prosecutor Javier Caraballo told reporters late yesterday that the sailors may face jail for transporting arms illegally. ‘This type of behavior could carry a sentence of between four and six years,’ he said, noting that the crew are staying silent. ‘They took up their right not to testify,’ he said, standing next to the seized ship in Manzanillo.
Panama on Monday said it had discovered the shipment after impounding the vessel and conducting a drugs search. The ship’s captain tried to kill himself and the crew rioted, according to Panama’s president. The crew remain in custody at Fort Sherman base and ‘are in perfect health,’ according to Caraballo.
The Soviet-era weaponry, discovered among tonnes of sugar during an anti-drugs search, belongs to Cuba and was being taken to North Korea for repair, the communist allies have said.
Panamanian anti-drugs prosecutor Javier Caraballo told reporters late yesterday that the sailors may face jail for transporting arms illegally. ‘This type of behavior could carry a sentence of between four and six years,’ he said, noting that the crew are staying silent. ‘They took up their right not to testify,’ he said, standing next to the seized ship in Manzanillo.
Panama on Monday said it had discovered the shipment after impounding the vessel and conducting a drugs search. The ship’s captain tried to kill himself and the crew rioted, according to Panama’s president. The crew remain in custody at Fort Sherman base and ‘are in perfect health,’ according to Caraballo.
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