Foreign Ministry assisting two Ukrainian sailors detained in Venezuela on suspicion of drug trafficking

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is doing its utmost to resolve the situation with two Ukrainian sailors, who were detained in Venezuela in 2007 on suspicion of illegal drug trafficking.

The Ukrainian Consul in Brazil is doing all he can within his competence to provide assistance to the detained Ukrainian sailors, director of the Department of Consular Service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Andriy Olefirov said during a press club on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry, detainees haven't complained about food or conditions of custody. They haven't made any statements about violence against them.

At the request of the Ukrainian side, the Belarusian ambassador to Venezuela handed the Venezuelan side a copy of a letter from the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko, containing a request for a fair judicial inquiry into this case, Olefirov said. "We have received no written response so far," the diplomat said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, two Ukrainian crew members of the B Atlantic vessel were detained on August 13, 2007, in the port of Maracaibo (Venezuela) on suspicion of involvement in smuggling 128 kg of cocaine. First, the trial was delayed for various reasons. The pause in this case was announced as early as in October 2009. Date of next court sitting has not been scheduled yet.