A forensic scientist has told a drug smuggling trial that 3.2 tonnes of cocaine was found on a tug.
Barry James was giving evidence in the case of nine Turkish sailors who were aboard the MV Hamal when it was boarded by UK Border Force and National Crime Agency officers in international waters and brought back to Aberdeen harbour.
The High Court in Glasgow has heard that the cocaine was discovered hidden in a ballast tank at the front of the ship.
Mr James told advocate depute Ashley Edwards, prosecuting, that he was asked to examine the 128 bales, each containing 25 blocks, which were found on the tug.
He told the jury that he took random samples of the packages found inside the bales and discovered the ones he sampled all weighed approximately one kilo (2.2lb).
He added: “If we had limitless time and resources we would examine each package, but we don’t so we do random sampling.”
The jury was told that the examined samples contained cocaine ranging in purity from 58% to 71%.
Miss Edwards asked Mr James: “Do you give a weight for all the bales?”
He said: “If we assume the random samples are representative then the estimated weight would be 3,200 kilos.”
The prosecutor then said: “Is that 3.2 tonnes?”
Mr James replied: “Yes, it’s the same thing.”
The nine-strong Turkish crew of the MV Hamal are accused of being involved in an international drug-smuggling operation by smuggling cocaine from Istanbul via Tenerife to South America, and then to the North Sea between February and April 2015.
They are also accused of being concerned in the supply of the class A drug between April 21 and 23.
Kayacan Dalgakiran, 64, Mustafa Guven, 48, Mustafa Ceviz, 55, Umit Colakel, 39, Ibrahim Dag, 48, Mumin Sahin, 46, Emin Ozmen, 51, Abdulkadir Cirik, 32, and Muhammet Seckin, 27, deny the charges against them.
Mr James also told the court he had taken DNA samples from all the bales and passed these on to other scientists to analyse.
The trial, before judge Lord Kinclaven, continues.
