Turkish authorities unveil ‘ghost ships’ network in major drug op

ANKARA

The Turkish Interior Ministry has said that 4 tons of cocaine intercepted aboard a vessel near the Canary Islands are likely transported via “ghost ships” originating from South America.

The Tanzanian-flagged vessel, named "RAS," departed off Istanbul's Zeytinburnu district on July 28 and was apprehended during an operation conducted by security forces from Spain and France on Oct. 4.

In this operation, 10 suspects were detained, including seven Turks, two Azerbaijanis and one Dutch national.

In a written statement, the Turkish ministry said that a comprehensive analysis of the ship's route, port and speed information suggested that the narcotics were clandestinely transferred to the vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, presumably off the coasts of Guinea or Mauritania, via these ghost ships originating from South American countries.

Following this transfer, it is anticipated that the drugs would be dispatched to European nations, it noted.

The ministry’s detailed route analysis indicated that after departing Istanbul, the vessel made a brief stop in Morrocco’s Casablanca, before transiting to Sierra Leone.

The ministry identified Egypt’s Alexandria as the vessel's next port of call, estimating its arrival on Oct. 15. During the period from Sept. 23 to 24, the vessel executed low-speed maneuvers in the waters off Guinea-Bissau.

Two days later, it significantly reduced its speed while navigating off the coast of Mauritania, a development that pointed to the transfer of narcotics from ghost ships. Subsequently, while en route to Alexandria Port, the vessel was intercepted by security forces in the waters northeast of the Canary Islands.