A police officer walks past containers carrying a Russian-made fighter engine which were taken off the North Korean-flagged freighter ship Chong Chon Gang in this July 30, 2013, file photo.PANAMA CITY – Panamanian prosecutors have cleared the release of most of the crew on a North Korean ship seized in July for carrying Cuban arms hidden beneath a load of sugar, an official said Wednesday.
Only three of the 35 crew members, the captain, first mate and a Korean official who watched the crew, will continue to be detained and face charges of arms trafficking, said organized crime prosecutor Nahaniel Murgas.
“The 32 are being released because they didn’t know about the cargo,” Murgas said.
He said the ship was legally free to go. But officials with the independent Panama Canal zone say the ship cannot move until the North Koreans pay a $1 million fine, which was levied for threatening the canal’s security by not declaring the weapons. So far the fine has not been resolved, said canal legal adviser Alvaro Cabal. His brother, Tomas Cabral, an official with the Foreign Ministry, told the Associated Press that one option would be selling the legal cargo on board – 10,000 tons of sugar – which is worth about $3 million. The North Koreans have said they want the sugar back.
A North Korean delegation arrived last week, one of several in recent months, to negotiate the return of the ship and crew. It was not clear Wednesday exactly when the crew members would leave.