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HRAS report has called for urgent international intervention in the case of two senior seafarers convicted of drug trafficking
A new independent report has called for urgent international intervention in the case of two senior seafarers convicted of drug trafficking in Türkiye, arguing that serious gaps in the evidence raise the prospect of a “grave miscarriage of justice”. Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) has examined the convictions of the Syrian-born, Finnish citizen chief officer Ali Albokhari and the Croatian captain Marko Bekavac, who were serving aboard the 'Phoenician M', when cocaine was discovered in Colombia and later allegedly found in Türkiye in 2023. The report identified three central concerns: missing cross-border evidence, an unverified chain of custody surrounding the alleged Turkish drugs seizure and what it describes as reliance on the officers’ command positions without clear evidence that either knew of or participated in the trafficking operation. The HRAS has brought publication of the report forward amid new claims from Albokhari’s family that prison authorities have intensified threats to transfer him to Finland as a convicted prisoner to serve his now 33-year sentence. The HRAS argued that repeatedly threatening such a transfer while legal attempts to overturn the conviction remained underway is causing severe psychological distress and may amount to mental torture. The case began at Barranquilla, Colombia, in September 2023, when Colombian authorities discovered a reported 137 kilograms of cocaine in the vessel’s aft peak tank around the steering gear compartment. Packages bore the emblem of Turkish football club Kayserispor. Crew statements were taken, but nobody aboard was arrested. After a meeting with the harbour authorities and an underwater inspection, the 'Phoenician M' was cleared to leave Colombia for Ereğlii, where it arrived in early October. Turkish authorities initially searched the vessel without finding drugs. During subsequent coal discharge operations, however, bags and packages containing a reported 101.5 kg of cocaine were allegedly recovered from areas associated with cargo hold No.2 and shoreside cargo handling. This is where the HRAS sees one of the largest holes in the case. The organisation said it has not seen the forensic report, photographs, exhibit register or chain-of-custody documentation needed to verify exactly where the Turkish drugs were recovered or establish continuity between the substances allegedly found and the vessel. Ten of the 20 crew members were arrested. On Sep 16, 2024, the Karadeniz Ereğli High Criminal Court sentenced Albokhari and Bekavac to 30 years in prison and fined each TRY200,000 ($4,171). The other eight defendants were acquitted. The report said that the two sentences were subsequently extended to 33 years following non-payment of the fines, although HRAS notes that it has not seen the primary decision confirming the legal basis and present effect of that extension. Bekavac has spent nearly two years imprisoned before unexpectedly being returned to Croatia in August 2025, following diplomatic interventions. He remained convicted in Türkiye and faced restricted employment options and concerns over travelling internationally. Albokhari remained the only member of the crew behind bars. His legal team was now pursuing an extraordinary remedy under Article 308 of Türkiye’s Criminal Procedure Code. The Court of Cassation upheld his conviction by a 3-2 majority, but two judges dissented, and the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had recommended that the conviction be reversed. The defence petition argued that the Turkish investigators failed to obtain Colombian records, did not properly investigate the original intelligence behind the Turkish operation, failed to hear key police and port witnesses and did not properly examine digital evidence. The HRAS also highlighted the absence of direct forensic evidence linking Albokhari to the cocaine. The report said that there was no fingerprint evidence, communications evidence, surveillance evidence or witness testimony establishing his participation in a trafficking operation. Instead, the defence argues, criminal liability was inferred principally from his role as chief officer and ship security officer. The report called for the missing Colombian and Turkish evidence to be disclosed and independently examined, continued Finnish and Croatian diplomatic intervention and engagement by Interpol and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. It also said that recourse to the European Court of Human Rights should be considered if domestic remedies were exhausted.
Convictions raised concern in maritime industry
The decision of Turkey’s Supreme Court to upheld the 30-year prison sentences of Captain Marko Bekavac and Chief Officer Ali Albokhari, who were found guilty of negligence after drugs were discovered in the cargo holds of the 'Phoenician M', has raised concern across the maritime industry and among seafarer welfare organisations, because no direct evidence was found linking any crew member to the drugs. The Supreme Court in Ankara confirmed the convictions by a three-to-two vote, maintaining the 30-year negligence sentences previously imposed on the two officers. Captain Bekavac was released in August 2025, but Chief Officer Albokhari remained in prison despite being convicted under the same allegations. Investigations had found no evidence linking any member of the crew to the narcotics, and all other crew members detained during the case were later released. The court documents still did not clearly explain what Ali Albokhari was specifically accused of or how he was considered responsible for the drugs found in the cargo. Official documents repeatedly indicate that no direct evidence has been found against him.
Captain and 1st officer sentenced to 30 years in jail each for smuggling cocaine
The Croatian Captain Marko Bekavac and the First Officer Ali Albokhari of the 'Phoenician M' have been sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment in Turkey after being found guilty of smuggling 137 kg of cocaine on board the vessel. They were arrested along with eight crew members in Oct 2023 and detained in an Ankara prison ahead of their trial, which started in June. Bekavac has a 30-year record at sea with no reported offences. Both Bekavac and Albokhari were sentenced to 30 years each in jail after the cocaine was discovered hidden in the cargo on the coal-laden vessel, which had arrived in the port of Eregli from Columbia. Authorities searched the vessel and found 137 kg of cocaine hidden among the coal. Eight seafarers were acquitted on the same charges as the authorities focused on the responsibility of the captain and his first officer. The ship was detained for 11 days by the UK authorities in May 2023, who inspected the vessel, then named 'Clipper Palma' and found 11 deficiencies across a broad range of categories. The vessel was renamed the next month. Albokhari told the court during the trial that he had reported that the ship did not have sufficient security while it was being loaded in Colombia. He said he had advised the Turkish authorities of this when the vessel arrived in port. It also emerged in court that Bekavac had told the ship’s managers that security should be increased and additional cameras should be added for the Colombian port call. However, his requests were ignored. The Colombian authorities searched the vessel before it sailed and found a small amount of cocaine in the aft peak tank. The ship’s crew comprised 20 seafarers from the Philippines, Finland, Poland, and Russia when it was detained. After arresting the 10 suspects, the authorities released the vessel. The prosecutors were unable to provide any evidence linking the eight crew members to the cocaine, so they were acquitted. However, the state prosecutor said the master and first officer were responsible for managing the vessel. The Croatian government supported the crew during the trial and its ambassador was present at court.
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