Gulf | Yemen
Trial of 11 Iranian sailors put off after new drug find
The Yemen State Security Court on Monday indefinitely postponed the trial of 11 Iranians after recovering more drugs from their boat.
- By Nasser ArrabyeeCorrespondent
- Published: 22:00 June 16, 2008
Sana'a: The Yemen State Security Court on Monday indefinitely postponed the trial of 11 Iranians after recovering more drugs from their boat.
The authorities had detained the boat in February for illegally entering Yemeni waters.
Minutes before the start of the session scheduled for yesterday, a source at the prosecutor's office told reporters that the case was referred back to the prosecution for more investigations after the discovery of big quantity of drugs on Monday in the boat.
"Anti-drug experts found 1,059 kg of drugs hidden beside the cooling machines," the source told the reporters at the gate of the high security court.
The Yemeni coastguards had detained the boat and the 11 Iranian sailors in February along the eastern coast of Al Mahra.
The sailors had said that they entered the Yemeni waters by mistake. Officials, however, cast doubts about the Iranians' claims because of the size and type of the boat and the modern telecommunications equipment found aboard.
The sailors were charged with drug smuggling, but this charge was later dismissed by local officials.
"The crew will be tried on charges of entering the Yemeni waters illegally not on charges of smuggling drugs," said Haidan Joman, prosecutor-general of Al Gaidah in February. The official said at the time only a small quantity of drugs was found on the boat.
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