Huge cocaine haul taken into court
Jurors in a drugs trial have been shown cocaine allegedly seized on a boat off the coast of Aberdeen
A major security operation was mounted at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday to allow the jurors in a international drug-smuggling trial to view 129 bales of cocaine found on a tug.
The street outside was barricaded off to allow the massive amount of the class A drug to be brought to court by police.
A massive haul of cocaine was found on MV Hamal suspected of being involved in smuggling.
The ship was boarded in international waters 100 miles off Aberdeen in an operation involving a |Royal Navy warship and a border Force cutter.
Border Force officer Lee Butler, 44, told the High Court in Glasgow that he and other members of the specialist 'deep rummage” team searched the tug HV Hamal when in arrived Aberdeen Harbour in April last year.
He said that a total of 129 bales of the class A drug were discovered in a ballast area at the front of the ship.
In a highly unusual move the cocaine was brought under tight security to the High Court for the jury to view. Mart Street outside the court was closed while the cocaine was being taken into the court. The drugs were later taken back to a secret location.
Inside the court building a secure area was set up in the corridor outside court 3 and the 14 jurors were able to see the class A drug up close and examine the labels on the bales which measured two feet by one foot.
The bales of cocaine covered an area of 12 feet by 10 feet and was four feet high and each bale was individually sealed in plastic evidence bags.
In all the jurors spent about 10 minutes looking at the bales in a move described by trial judge Lord Kinclaven described as “slightly unusual.”
The jury watched as Mr Butler looked at labels on the bales, while the judge and the prosecutor and defence counsel looked on. Not a word was spoken.
The nine-strong Turkish crew of the MV Hamal are on trial accused of being involved in an international drug-smuggling operation.
They are on trial accused of smuggling cocaine from Istanbul via Tenerife to South America, and then to the North Sea between February and April 2015.
They are further alleged to have been concerned in the supply of the class A drug between April 21 and 23.
Kayacan Dalgakiran, 64, Mustafa Guven, 48, Mustafa Ceviz, 55, Umit Colakel, 39, Ibrahim Dag, 48, Mumin Sahin, 46, Emin Ozmen, 51, Abdulkadir Cirik, 32, and Muhammet Seckin, 27, deny the charges against them. The court has heard that the Hamal was boarded by the Royal Navy and Border Force officers in international waters and taken to Aberdeen harbour to be searched.
Mr Butler said that one of the first places to be searched was a ballast tank in the front of the ship which he found suspicious.
He was asked why that was by advocate depute Ashley Edwards, prosecuting, and replied: “I didn't expect it to contain the liquid it did which as diesel fuel. It should have contained sea water.”
Mr Butler said that the tank was emptied and he added: “There were a number of pipes which had been cut. There was also some plate that looked like it had recently been welded and the tanks were separated in two.”
He said he was instructed to drill a hole in the plate. Miss Edwards asked him: “What happened,” and he replied: “There was white powder that appeared on the drill.”
He said the powder was tested and found to be cocaine
The next day a hole was cut in the steel plate and four bales of cocaine were found.
A hatch was then found in one of the cabins which led to an area where more cocaine was found. Mr Butler was asked how many bales there were in total and replied: “There were 129.”
Earlier Martin Pownall of the Border Force told of how the tug was boarded at sea. He said that the boarding crew met with no resistance from the crew of the Hamal.
The trial before Lord Kinclaven continues.