U.S. salvage crew jailed in Honduras for carrying guns

摘要

"Everything seemed normal." That's what Capt. Robert Mayne thought as he retired to his bunk on the night of May 5, awaiting a visit the next morning from the port captain of Puerto Lempira, Honduras. Then a navy launch pulled alongside Mayne's salvage boat, the 65-foot Aqua Quest, leading to a raid and what he called "cold-blooded" extortion on gun-smuggling charges. Mayne, who said he had firearms on board to defend against pirates, refused to pay the local authorities. As a result, he and his five-man crew spent the next 53 days in jail, their release secured only after pressure from U.S. congressmen and a ruling by a Honduran appeals court.