If drugs are found on a ship in certain ports, the crew risk extreme prison sentences. Limited understanding of merchant ship operations can lead judges to believe that hiding drugs onboard or attaching them to the ship’s hull is impossible without the crew's knowledge. Misguided assumptions The international shipping industry needs to be alerted to the substantial risk of unwarranted arrests and severe prison sentences associated with docking at certain ports around the world. Additionally, the slow pace of legal procedures in certain countries can detain crew members and shipowners for many months. Lately, there have been instances where ships and their crews arriving from South and Central America have been detained seemingly without valid justification. In two recent court cases, crew members were given very long prison sentences with judges concluding that hiding drugs onboard or attaching them to the ship’s hull is impossible without the crew knowing. Such instances are both concerning and surprising. In many jurisdictions, drugs found on board or attached to the underwater hull would not be considered evidence connecting the crew to hiding the drugs on board their ship. Unfortunately, and disappointingly, other jurisdictions take the opposite view. Smugglers’ modus operandi With the increase in coca production, especially in Colombia, the maritime industry is increasingly targeted by drug smugglers looking for opportunities to get their product to market, typically in the US or Europe. All types of ships are at risk, and ports across South and Central America are exploited for smuggling purposes. Port perimeter security measures appear to offer little protection for the ship; drugs can make their way onto the ship in several different ways: Hidden on board by shore staff or, in some cases, crew members. Such perpetrators are often coerced as opposed to cooperating with criminals for financial gains Attached to the hull by divers and removed again by divers wh