No drugs found on detained Baltic Spirit, vessel leaves Estonian waters
A vessel detained Tuesday has set sail for its onward destination after Estonian authorities said no narcotics had been found on board.
The 188-meter Baltic Spirit container ship was boarded Tuesday afternoon in Tallinn Bay by a police swat team and members of the Tax and Customs Authority (MTA) on suspicion that it was being used for drug smuggling.
The ship is not suspected to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet," and is not under EU or other sanctions.
The Baltic Spirit was transferred to Muuga, east of Tallinn, for inspection.
The ship departed from Muuga harbor at 2:15 a.m. this morning after no drugs or other illegal consignment had been detected.
Estonian authorities had acted on information from international partners. "This time, the information received from international partners was not confirmed," said Vitali Zajarin, head of the investigation department's narcotics service at the MTA.
From Tuesday evening, MTA officials unloaded the suspicious sea containers from the vessel once it was moored in Muuga, and carried out a customs inspection of the goods contained.
According to the authority, information that the vessel Baltic Spirit was carrying a suspicious container that might contain narcotic substances was received by the MTA a few days ago.
Additional suspicion had arisen surrounding the Baltic Spirit's route – from Puerto Bolívar, Ecuador to St. Petersburg, Russia. The largest drug seizure in Estonia to date had been from a ship which had also sailed from Ecuador, in 2022.
The MTA had received information that the vessel may have been used for drug smuggling several days ago, and initially monitored its journey before the decision was made to board Tuesday afternoon.
The MTA is tasked with combatting cross-border organized crime, including drug smuggling. The largest shipment the authority has ever seized was the 2.5 tonnes of cocaine found in 2022 to be concealed in banana boxes, again originating in Ecuador.
The Baltic Spirit had been sailing under the flag of the Bahamas and had entered Estonian waters for bunkering at the time the operation took place. The vessel had anchored at an official site.
The boarding operation involved a helicopter-borne police K-Commando swat team and started a little after 5 p.m. The boarding party were unopposed by the Baltic Spirit's crew of 23. The vessel was then transferred to the nearby port of Muuga for the inspection.
The incident has also led to officials highlighting the need for more helicopters and other resources: At present only one suitable helicopter is available for use in such operations. Interior Minister Igor Taro (Eesti 200) said the operation carried elevated risk due to the limited resources, while there are concerns over repeat incidents.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Huko Aaspõllu
