PARIS, October 7. /TASS/. French authorities released one Russian sailor, detained in Dunkirk, under a travel ban, but left the second one in custody, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Paris Alexander Makogonov told TASS Thursday.
"According to the French state agencies, one sailor was put into custody, while the other one was released under a travel ban," the diplomat said, adding that the probe into both sailors continues.
"The remaining information is not being disclosed in the interest of the investigation," Makogonov added.
He noted that the embassy is monitoring the situation.
"We will continue to take necessary measures in order to protect the rights and interests of our citizens," the diplomat underscored.
Earlier, French media reported that, on October 1, French authorities arrested a ship in the port of Dunkirk, discovering over 1 tonne of cocaine aboard. Law enforcement detained 19 crew members, led by a captain from Romania. The detainees included citizens of Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines and Ethiopia. A police source said that the ship, sailing under a Liberian flag, was en route from Brazil to an undisclosed Northern European port.
On Tuesday, the detainees were transported to Paris. A criminal probe was initiated. According to the source, the ship was carrying 1,127 kg of drugs, worth "several tens of millions of euros.".