(Trinidad Express) The Hispania Spirit, the LNG tanker on which $120 million in cocaine was found at a port at Atlantic in Point Fortin last week, has left Trinidad.
On the marine tracking website marinetraffic.com stated that the vessel left Trinidad at 7.26 p.m. Sunday and it was expected that its next port of call would be at its home port on April 16 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Spain.
The ship’s captain and crew of 28 were on board the vessel when it left for its voyage.
They were interviewed by officers of the Organised Crime and Intelli-gence Unit and Customs and Excise Division about the cocaine that was discovered in the vessel’s rudder last Wednesday morning.
The vessel had been docked at Jetty #1 since Tuesday, and 200 kilogrammes of cocaine wrapped were discovered when the captain was checking the vessel.
Point Fortin police were contacted by security personnel at Atlantic and told of the illegal cargo.
Officers of the OCIU, Customs and Excise, Coast Guard and ASP Ramphal, Sgt Jones, Ag Cpl Carter, Cpls Bajan and Bates and PC David.
The captain told police that he made interval checks throughout their duration in Trinidad.
It was during one of those checks around 8 a.m. on Wednesday that that seven black bales of cocaine covered with nylon mesh were found.
The narcotics were seized by Coast Guard officers and handed over to the Customs and Excise Division.