Buket's captain is sentenced to 24 years in custody

Mehmed Dzhoshkun Ozturk was convicted of smuggling and violating the ban on unauthorized economic activity in an occupied territory.

The Panama-flagged Buket, operated by a Turkish company, was transferred to Georgian government ownership and could be sold at auction by the Finance Ministry.

The fate of 16 crew members, four Azerbaijani citizens and 12 Turks, is not yet known. According to the latest information, they have not been charged and could be relieved from liability.

Georgian sea patrol officers detained the Buket on August 16 as it was carrying over 2,000 tons smuggled gasoline and 770 metric tons of diesel to Abkhazia. Tbilisi seized the shipments as unauthorized and illegal.

The case of four Azerbaijanis from Buket ship will be considered by Kutaisi court.