Croatian captain Marko Bekavac, who was charged with cocaine smuggling in Turkey after the drug was found on his ship last year, and his chief mate were each sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday.

Bekavac and the chief mate remain in custody in Turkey. They have the right to appeal, while the other eight defendants were acquitted, the general secretary of the Croatian seafarers’ union, Neven Melvan, told the Croatian news agency Hina by telephone.

Present at the sentencing were Bekavac’s wife and brother, Croatian Ambassador Hrvoje Cvitanovic, Charge d’Affairs Mario Zadro and colleagues from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

Ten seafarers arrested

“We are all in shock. They were obviously found guilty on the basis of command responsibility,” said Melvan, adding that the legal battle should continue until the acquittal.

Bekavac has been in custody in Turkey since October 2023, when police found 137 kilos of cocaine on his vessel Phoenician M in the Turkish port of Eregli. The ship, which flies the flag of Panama, was carrying coal from Colombia.

Ten seamen were arrested at the time – six from the Philippines, one each from Finland, Poland and Russia and Bekavac, whom the Turkish authorities hold responsible as the ship’s captain. The Phoenician M was allowed to leave the harbour with the rest of the crew.

Melvan: The direct link between the crew and the drugs could not be established or proven

The trial opened in mid-June, with all defendants pleading not guilty and presenting their defence.

Melvan said during the trial that the commander of the ship had requested additional cameras and security measures before entering the Colombian port and loading the cargo, but that the shipping company had not responded to his request. He also said that the direct link between the crew and the drugs had not been established or proven.

At the end of June, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to intervene on Bekavac’s behalf. He stated that Croatia expected the Turkish authorities to act fairly in his case and that the Croatian government would continue to provide him with diplomatic, consular, legal and other support.