A fishing trawler seized Feb. 21 with more than two tons of cocaine aboard may not be of evidentiary value to Canadian law enforcement. “I don’t believe the vessel itself has any value, in terms of evidentiary value for a case,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman Cpl. Grant Learned said Saturday.

While the trawler remains in Port Angeles in the custody of the U.S. Coast Guard, its crew – Sean Cochrane, 31; Kenneth Hubley, 41; Beau Nairn, 18; Philip Hohn Stirling, 46; and Frank Lynn Styan, age unavailable – is apparently free to go. The Times Colonist of Victoria reported last week that Canadian prosecutors had release at least two of the Western Wind’s five crewmen including Nairn.

A third crewman, Styan, was freed last week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. As of Saturday, Canadian prosecutors had not filed charges against any of the crewmen, Learned said. Under Canadian law, anyone arrested must be charged and brought before a judge within 24 hours of being taken into custody or be released.

Peninsula Daily News, March 4, 2001- Section C