The MV Gold Star burns after its crew set it on fire following its
interception by Italian police and customs officials in the
Mediterranean Sea on Saturday. The Tanzanian-registered ship was
carrying drugs valued at Sh125 billion.PHOTO | AFP
In Summary
Director of Criminal Investigations Robert
Manumba says the MV Gold Star was indeed flying the Tanzanian flag and
was registered in Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam. Police confirmed
yesterday that the ship intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea on
Saturday with cannabis worth over Sh125 billion on board was registered
in Tanzania.
The Director of Criminal Investigations, Mr Robert Manumba, told The Citizen that the MV Gold Star was indeed flying the Tanzanian flag and was registered in Zanzibar.
“We checked with the Zanzibar shipping authorities
and they confirmed that the ship was a Tanzanian-flagged vessel
registered in Zanzibar,” he said.
Italian customs officials intercepted the ship as
it sailed off the coast of Sicily, about 60 kilometres north of Malta,
following a tip-off that it was carrying a huge consignment of drugs.
Its destination could not be immediately established.
The nine people on board, said to be Egyptians and
Syrians, set fire to the ship and jumped overboard as they attempted to
avoid being arrested, but they were too many kilometres from the sea
shore and had to be plucked to safety.
Mr Manumba said Tanzanian police had given their
Italian counterparts the go-ahead to search the ship to establish the
type of cargo it was carrying.
“Italian police have asked for permission to
search the cargo vessel since it was flying the Tanzanian flag. We gave
them the go-ahead and since today is Sunday, we will be in a position to
know the outcome of the search tomorrow (today),” he said.
However, reports from Italy said Italian officials
had already established that the ship was carrying about 30 tonnes of
hashish, an extract of the cannabis plant, worth about 50 million
sterling pounds (Sh125 billion). The cargo was loaded into the vessel
in Turkey, according to Italian officials.
A spokesman for Italian customs said: “The ship
was intercepted after intelligence was received that it was carrying
drugs, but we never expected such a huge consignment and for the crew to
set her on fire.
“The idea was no doubt to try and destroy the
evidence so that we could have no case against them but their plan
failed and the fire was put out and the drugs were found during the
search.
“Nine people on board jumped into the sea but they
couldn’t get very far as they were several miles from shore and they
had to be rescued by Italian customs officers.
“The fire is now under control and the ship is
being taken to a port where it will be thoroughly searched again and the
nine crew members will be questioned by prosecutors.”
Mr Gustavu Babile, head of Interpol in Tanzania, also confirmed that the ship was registered in Zanzibar.
Contacted for comment, Zanzibar’s Infrastructure and Communication minister, Mr Rashid Seif Suleiman, told The Citizen that he was not aware of the incident, and promised to make a follow-up.
The Tanzania Ports Authority website lists the ship’s areas of operations as west and southern Africa and the Far East.
According to information on the maritime-connector website, the MV Gold Star
is a general cargo ship registered in Tanzania, with Zanzibar as its
homeport. Its owner is Gold Star Shipping of Marshall Islands.
The ship was built in 1975 and its International
Maritime Organisation (IMO) Registration Number is 7393860. Its
Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) is 677039200.
The vessel was previously known as the MV Ibrahim
Junior (until February 2011), Breogan I (until November 2006), Breogan
(until March 2002), Estela del Mar (until December 1996), Inezgane
(until 1996), Puerto Suances (until 1988) and Suecia (until 1985).
The interception of the ship and its huge cargo of
hashish is yet another incident linking Tanzania to the international
drug trade.
The government has in recent months been battling
to stem the flow of drugs through Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere
International Airport (JNIA), which has been identified as a major entry
and exit point for narcotics.
Two Tanzanian women were arrested in July with a
drug haul valued at about Sh7 billion upon their arrival at
Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport from JNIA.
Four JNIA officials were recently suspended as
part of the Ministry of Transport’s crackdown on drug smuggling through
Tanzania’s biggest and busiest airport.
A number of MPs last month pressured the
government to name drug kingpins in Parliament, but the State refused,
saying it could only do so if it had concrete evidence against the
suspects.
“We should understand that the government can name
the suspects only if it has concrete evidence to prosecute them,” said
the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office in charge of
Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr William Lukuvi.
source: The citizen
source: The citizen
