Source: Youtube/RT

Russian authorities who seized the Greenpeace ship, Arctic Sunrise, have claimed that they found "hard drugs" on board. The Investigative Committee of Russia said investigators found drugs in a search of the Greenpeace ship. The drugs were allegedly poppy straw and morphine. Poppy straw is also known as raw opium which can be used to make heroin or morphine.

Greenpeace denied the allegations and said in a statement that the Russian suggestion of illegal drugs aboard the ship should be treated as a "smear."

Greenpeace said it can only assume that the Russian investigators were referring to medical supplies ships were required to carry on board under maritime law. The Russian authorities arrested 30 Greenpeace protesters and held them based on the suspicion that they were "pirates." The activists attempted to climb aboard a Russian oil rig.

Kumi Naidoo, head of Greenpeace International, wrote to President Vladimir Putin of Russia and offered himself as a guarantee for the detained members of Greenpeace.

According to BBC reports, there is a growing international concern for the welfare of the detained Arctic Sunrise crew who came from 18 countries, including New Zealand and Australia.

The Netherlands has earlier demanded the release of the Greenpeace members who were being detained in Murmansk while waiting for their trial. The country also asked Russia to release the Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise.

The detainees may face new charges in light of the new evidence of drugs found in the ship, according to the Investigative Committee. Aside from the suspected hard drugs, Russian authorities also found "dual-purpose" equipment which they said "could be used not only for ecological purposes."

The Russian committee also planned to identify who among the Arctic Sunrise crew was "deliberately ramming" the guard boats along the Russian border.

Greenpeace replied to the Russian committee allegations and said the organisation has a strict policy against recreational drugs. They were not allowed on any Greenpeace ship and any claim to say otherwise should be regarded with "great suspicion."

Greenpeace also revealed that before Arctic Sunrise headed for the Arctic, Norwegian authorities let a sniffer dog search the ship as part of standard protocol. According to Greenpeace, Norwegian law are among the strictest in the world and authorities found nothing illegal after the search.

Aside from the statement rejecting Russia's "bogus" claim, Greenpeace also released a slow-motion video of Arctic Sunrise's launch and coast guard boats to show footage of the moment the ship and Russian boats touched.

From the video, the ship can be seen sailing towards the middle of the port side of the coast guard boats. The ship and the boats briefly touched before turning away immediately and turning to the left. The claim that Arctic Sunrise "deliberately ramming" into coast guard boats is "entirely bogus."

Source:Youtube/newsnewsinworld

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