Nine remanded further over drugs-on-boat charges |16 March 2013

The prosecution – led by principal state counsel David Esparon – is expected to present new documents to the court regarding the case on that day.

The accused include the owner of fishing boat Charitha, seven who claim to be fishermen, and a mechanic.
Besides drug trafficking they also face charges relating to illegal possession of firearms and turtle meat and fishing for sea cucumber without a licence.

Denying them bail earlier, Mr Burhan said the charges before them are very serious and attract mandatory life in jail sentences and there is a risk of them absconding or interfering with the case.

The Seychelles Fishing Authority recently corrected a press release issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Industry which said there were 1,562 sea cucumbers on the vessel when the seven were caught by the National Drugs Enforcement Agency officers on December 11, 2012, saying the figure should have read as 1,062.

The statement with the wrong figure – which was cited in court documents before it was corrected – was not issued by the NDEA as earlier reported.