Authorities in process of deporting the crew of seized vessel suspected of illegal fishing

By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, October 12, 11:34 AM

JUNEAU, Alaska — The crew of a vessel that was seized about 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak after being suspected of illegal fishing is being deported.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice says the 22 crew members are being held at a detention facility outside Seattle while arrangements are made to return them to their native countries. She didn’t know how long that process would take.

She says 10 of the crew members are from Vietnam, seven are from Indonesia, four are from China and one is from Taiwan.

The Coast Guard seized the Bangun Perkasa Sept. 7 after a report that the ship was fishing illegally with a drift net. A Coast Guard spokeswoman has said the crew initially claimed the vessel was from Indonesia but that authorities in Indonesia didn’t claim it.

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