Part of Ship's Crew Involved in Huge Cocaine Shipment, Bulgaria Says

On Thursday, Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov arrived on a two-day visit to Spain. File photo by BGNES

Bulgarian authorities possess hard evidence that part of the SV Nikolay ship's crew was involved in the massive drug trafficking operation intercepted last week, according to Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov.

The Interior Minister said he hoped that no evidence emerges to implicate all other sailors.

Last week, Spanish authorities nabbed 31 people, including 21 Bulgarians, after seizing 3 tons of cocaine brought from South America on a ship caught off the southern coast.

The sailors are currently in custody, Tsvetanov told the Bulgarian National Radio early on Friday. He assured that they were "in good condition."

"Our main task right now, together with our Spanish colleagues, is to find out the upper levels of this drug trafficking's organization," he said.

According to Tsvetanov, SV Nikolay's owner, Doychin Doychev, has known alleged drug boss Evelin Banev aka Brendo for a long time.

Despite Bulgaria's hopes for a domestic trial, it will be Spain that will be trying 21 Bulgarian sailors on drug trafficking charges, it was made clear on Thursday.

Spain's Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz has hinted that he believes that all sailors on board of the St. Nikolay ship were aware that they were transporting cocaine since they spent some 20 days on board with the shipment.

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