Paradip: All the 21 Vietnamese crew members, who were detained by Customs department on board cargo ship MV Debi at Odisha’s Paradip Port following seizure of 22 kg cocaine worth Rs 220 crore, have now been released.
The crew members, who spent more than a year in confinement in the vessel following the seizure of cocaine on November 30, 2023, expressed relief and gratitude on being released. “We are really happy to be released after one year of confinement,” said one of them.
The crew members had staged a dharna aboard the vessel in November last year protesting their prolonged detention and unpaid salaries. The protest disrupted routine operations, including running of the engine and refuelling, rendering the vessel non-functional.
On December 3, the Orissa High Court directed the Customs department to allow the replacement of the MV Debi crew. Acting on the direction, the superintendent of Customs, Paradip gave instructions to the Immigration department, enabling the signing off of the 21 crew members in phases.
Initially, 11 crew members were allowed to leave the vessel in two phases. The remaining crew followed in another two phases. They have been 17 new crew members who joined the vessel in three phases.
MV Debi was detained at the multipurpose berth of the port after 22 kg of cocaine was seized from the vessel at Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT). Despite the seizure, there was hardly any progress in investigation and no arrests have been made so far.
