Ali Albokhari, the 42-year-old Finnish-Syrian chief mate of the cargo ship Phoenician M, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in Turkey. This follows the reported discovery of cocaine on the vessel in October 2023.
The ship had previously been involved in a drug discovery in September 2023, when Armada Nacional officers in Barranquilla, Colombia, uncovered 137kg of cocaine on board. Mr. Albokhari had informed his wife, Elena Albokhari, about this incident, stating, "I never want to work as a seaman again."
Despite the earlier incident, the Phoenician M was cleared to depart Colombia. However, upon its arrival at Ereğli in the Turkish Black Sea on 2 October 2023, Turkish narcotics officers targeted the ship. The captain, Marko Bekavac, had already informed the ship's management company about the Colombian incident.
After an initial search found nothing, suspicious bags containing more cocaine were reportedly found buried in the cargo hold days later as coal was unloaded. Mr. Albokhari was arrested, and he is now the only crew member who remains imprisoned, three years after his arrest.
The International Maritime Organization has stated that the case "demonstrates how vulnerable seafarers are when they fall victim to organised international crime." The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) described it as a "gross abuse" of human rights.