CNN TODAY: 6 American Treasure Hunters Detained in Honduras
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Follow up article from the Tampa Bay Times
Hours after their release Thursday, the six men recovered their 65-foot boat from authorities and prepared for their 41/2-day voyage home.
"They're out of there," said Stephen Mayne, CEO of Aqua Quest International. "We knew from the beginning of this that this day would be here because the guys never committed any crime."
The crew is composed of Capt. Robert Mayne, 60, Stephen's brother. He and four crew members — James Kelly "Boo Boo" Garrett, 53; Devon Butler, 26; Nick Cook, 31; and Steve Matanich, 34 — are from Tarpon Springs. Their other brother, Michael Mayne, 57, of Cape Cod, Mass., is also aboard.
The crew's plight with Honduran authorities began May 5 when they arrived at the Central American country's northeastern coast. They were visiting Honduras to recover valuable mahogany logs from the bottom of a riverbed with the help of a local city and Indian tribe.
Instead, officers raided their boat and confiscated two pistols, two shotguns, and a semiautomatic rifle after crew members informed authorities they had weapons on board.
Honduran officials accused them of smuggling weapons into the country, but the crew maintained the guns were intended for protection against pirates.
The men were arrested and held in jail for weeks while the U.S. Embassy and U.S. lawmakers pushed for their freedom. They include U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., whose constituents include Butler's family.
Fitzpatrick recently traveled to Honduras to talk to officials and the imprisoned crew. He called the jail's conditions "deplorable" in a statement released Thursday.
During a recent meeting with Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez, U.S. State Department officials reportedly mentioned the crew's incarceration.
Last week, a three-judge panel in Honduras unanimously voted to dismiss all charges against the men, Stephen Mayne said. But the order for their release needed to be signed by several judges.
On Thursday, the last signature was collected.
"They've been beaten down by this process, having their liberty taken away for all this time without committing a crime, but they are grateful that the Honduran legal system actually worked," Mayne said. "We're ready to move on with our lives and we have a lot of projects to move forward with," including three shipwrecks in the South China Sea.
Bilirakis said he was "thrilled" to hear the news.
"I think we were pushing very hard. First of all, they didn't do anything wrong," he said, adding Honduras' "bad publicity" during the ordeal also likely aided in hastening their release.
Sarah Montgomery, crew member Steve Matanich's fiancee, said she was able to talk to him on the phone during weekends, but is looking forward to getting him home.
"We're very, very excited," she said. "This finally actually happened."
Times staff writer Mike Brassfield contributed to this report. Contact Laura C. Morel at [email protected] or (727)445-4157. On Twitter: @lauracmorel.
And now for my opinion:
I can only wonder at how much stuff was looted off of the boat while it was 'impounded'...
Hours after their release Thursday, the six men recovered their 65-foot boat from authorities and prepared for their 41/2-day voyage home.
"They're out of there," said Stephen Mayne, CEO of Aqua Quest International. "We knew from the beginning of this that this day would be here because the guys never committed any crime."
The crew is composed of Capt. Robert Mayne, 60, Stephen's brother. He and four crew members — James Kelly "Boo Boo" Garrett, 53; Devon Butler, 26; Nick Cook, 31; and Steve Matanich, 34 — are from Tarpon Springs. Their other brother, Michael Mayne, 57, of Cape Cod, Mass., is also aboard.
The crew's plight with Honduran authorities began May 5 when they arrived at the Central American country's northeastern coast. They were visiting Honduras to recover valuable mahogany logs from the bottom of a riverbed with the help of a local city and Indian tribe.
Instead, officers raided their boat and confiscated two pistols, two shotguns, and a semiautomatic rifle after crew members informed authorities they had weapons on board.
Honduran officials accused them of smuggling weapons into the country, but the crew maintained the guns were intended for protection against pirates.
The men were arrested and held in jail for weeks while the U.S. Embassy and U.S. lawmakers pushed for their freedom. They include U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., whose constituents include Butler's family.
Fitzpatrick recently traveled to Honduras to talk to officials and the imprisoned crew. He called the jail's conditions "deplorable" in a statement released Thursday.
During a recent meeting with Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez, U.S. State Department officials reportedly mentioned the crew's incarceration.
Last week, a three-judge panel in Honduras unanimously voted to dismiss all charges against the men, Stephen Mayne said. But the order for their release needed to be signed by several judges.
On Thursday, the last signature was collected.
"They've been beaten down by this process, having their liberty taken away for all this time without committing a crime, but they are grateful that the Honduran legal system actually worked," Mayne said. "We're ready to move on with our lives and we have a lot of projects to move forward with," including three shipwrecks in the South China Sea.
Bilirakis said he was "thrilled" to hear the news.
"I think we were pushing very hard. First of all, they didn't do anything wrong," he said, adding Honduras' "bad publicity" during the ordeal also likely aided in hastening their release.
Sarah Montgomery, crew member Steve Matanich's fiancee, said she was able to talk to him on the phone during weekends, but is looking forward to getting him home.
"We're very, very excited," she said. "This finally actually happened."
Times staff writer Mike Brassfield contributed to this report. Contact Laura C. Morel at [email protected] or (727)445-4157. On Twitter: @lauracmorel.
And now for my opinion:
I can only wonder at how much stuff was looted off of the boat while it was 'impounded'...
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[h=3]Tarpon Springs crew held in Honduran jail arrives home[/h]
Tampa Bay News Channel 8
In part states:
TARPON SPRINGS, FL (WFLA) -The crew of the Aqua Quest returned to cheers and relieved families in Tarpon Springs on Wednesday morning.
“It was amazing,” said Amy Ivy with a grin after finally getting to hug her brother, Steven Matanich, after they pulled into the dock.
The men, trained divers on a project to salvage valuable wood underwater in Honduras, spent seven weeks in a Honduran jail, arrested on weapons charges the captain said were an attempt to extort tens of thousands of dollars from them.
“Within minutes of arrival essentially we were kidnapped,” said Captain Bob Mayne, who described the jail they were held in as “filty” and crawling with cockroaches and mosquitos.
The men had weapons with them for protection, as in standard practice on this type of trip overseas, but Mayne said instead of going through the regular procedures, the men were taken at gunpoint and put in jail.
Tampa Bay News Channel 8
In part states:
TARPON SPRINGS, FL (WFLA) -The crew of the Aqua Quest returned to cheers and relieved families in Tarpon Springs on Wednesday morning.
“It was amazing,” said Amy Ivy with a grin after finally getting to hug her brother, Steven Matanich, after they pulled into the dock.
The men, trained divers on a project to salvage valuable wood underwater in Honduras, spent seven weeks in a Honduran jail, arrested on weapons charges the captain said were an attempt to extort tens of thousands of dollars from them.
“Within minutes of arrival essentially we were kidnapped,” said Captain Bob Mayne, who described the jail they were held in as “filty” and crawling with cockroaches and mosquitos.
The men had weapons with them for protection, as in standard practice on this type of trip overseas, but Mayne said instead of going through the regular procedures, the men were taken at gunpoint and put in jail.
Way to go Honduras !!!
The people of Ahuas were going to receive 40% of the proceeds from the sale of the Mahagony logs.
Plus, their estuary was going to be cleared so they could start trapping lobster again...
Now they get...Nothing...
They sure did show those gun-running Gringos !!
The people of Ahuas were going to receive 40% of the proceeds from the sale of the Mahagony logs.
Plus, their estuary was going to be cleared so they could start trapping lobster again...
Now they get...Nothing...
They sure did show those gun-running Gringos !!
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Tampa Bay Times News article:
States in part:
Thus began the men's seven-week stay in a dingy cell in a ramshackle jail in Puerto Lempira, a backwater town of 4,000 souls on northeastern Honduras' Mosquito Coast.
The crew believes their incarceration was a shakedown for money by corrupt officials. "It's total extortion, that's all it is," Garrett said.
There was no air conditioning or running water. Each night, they were locked in their cell for 13 hours. The mosquitoes were a nightmare.
For safety, they paid to share a cell instead of bunking with the jail's general population. They rented the cell from another inmate for $10 a night, and slept on the floor or in hammocks.
They subsisted on meager rations of beans and rice until a missionary hooked them up with a restaurant near the jail that delivered chicken or fish or goat.
States in part:
Thus began the men's seven-week stay in a dingy cell in a ramshackle jail in Puerto Lempira, a backwater town of 4,000 souls on northeastern Honduras' Mosquito Coast.
The crew believes their incarceration was a shakedown for money by corrupt officials. "It's total extortion, that's all it is," Garrett said.
There was no air conditioning or running water. Each night, they were locked in their cell for 13 hours. The mosquitoes were a nightmare.
For safety, they paid to share a cell instead of bunking with the jail's general population. They rented the cell from another inmate for $10 a night, and slept on the floor or in hammocks.
They subsisted on meager rations of beans and rice until a missionary hooked them up with a restaurant near the jail that delivered chicken or fish or goat.
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monita.secreta
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thats exactly how it is in the Philippines, they will ask who your lawyer is (you have to remember this) the biggest bill in your wallet is your lawyer. Then they will hold out their hand and you deposit the biggest bill you have into their hand, unless you get stopped by gunpoint and there they take anything they feel like taking.
This is Captain Bob Mayne....I appreciate the interest and comments on this thread....what happened to us was a cold blooded extortion attempt....We are extremely fortunate having all the high level help, from US and our friends in Honduras. The synopsis below is an accurate description of what occurred: The Story
The US flagged vessel Aqua Quest, entered the Caratasca Lagoon opening eight miles from the docks of the small town of Puerto Lempira in the Mosquito Coast area where it was to check in with the Port Captain. The team was traveling to Honduras to work on a cooperative project with the Municipality of Ahuas and Miskito Indians; a project several years in the making and one that would have a positive effect on the struggling residents. The Honduran Navy placed a Pilot onboard to guide the Aqua Quest through the shallow canal and into port. The pilot instead ran it up on a sand bar. The Captain of the Aqua Quest was finally able to get to shore just before the Port's office closed for business at 4 p.m. The Port Captain said it was too late to fully process their customs entry that day but confirmed that he would be ready at 6 a.m. to review their paperwork and told them to get a good night’s rest.
While the crew was sleeping, Naval and Local Police boarded, claiming to have authority to inspect the vessel and seized the Aqua Quest and arrested/imprisoned the crew. The next morning the Port Captain objected to the seizing of the vessel and the crew but was ignored by the local police.
At the arraignment hearing thirty hours later, the Port Captain continued to protest that proper procedures were not followed. He stated that any firearms on board, if not allowed onto Honduran territory, would have been kept in his offices.
At a hearing on Tuesday May 13th, 2014, the men were ordered to be further illegally detained for the false firearms charges. The boat was placed in the custody of the Honduran Navy.
The laws and procedures surrounding the case are clearly on the side of the Captain and crew. They are disputed only by the local judge and prosecutor. The ship was well within its rights to protect itself while traveling in troubled International waters. Detailed review of Honduran law and International protocol adopted and previously adhered to by Honduras, reveals that the Port Captain is to be the first to board a foreign vessel. He has the right to hold any firearms at his discretion. This did not happen. The Navy and Police intercepted the vessel, circumventing maritime protocol. The firearms officer with proper credentials on board the Aqua Quest was never called to testify during the truncated hearing.
The US flagged vessel Aqua Quest, entered the Caratasca Lagoon opening eight miles from the docks of the small town of Puerto Lempira in the Mosquito Coast area where it was to check in with the Port Captain. The team was traveling to Honduras to work on a cooperative project with the Municipality of Ahuas and Miskito Indians; a project several years in the making and one that would have a positive effect on the struggling residents. The Honduran Navy placed a Pilot onboard to guide the Aqua Quest through the shallow canal and into port. The pilot instead ran it up on a sand bar. The Captain of the Aqua Quest was finally able to get to shore just before the Port's office closed for business at 4 p.m. The Port Captain said it was too late to fully process their customs entry that day but confirmed that he would be ready at 6 a.m. to review their paperwork and told them to get a good night’s rest.
While the crew was sleeping, Naval and Local Police boarded, claiming to have authority to inspect the vessel and seized the Aqua Quest and arrested/imprisoned the crew. The next morning the Port Captain objected to the seizing of the vessel and the crew but was ignored by the local police.
At the arraignment hearing thirty hours later, the Port Captain continued to protest that proper procedures were not followed. He stated that any firearms on board, if not allowed onto Honduran territory, would have been kept in his offices.
At a hearing on Tuesday May 13th, 2014, the men were ordered to be further illegally detained for the false firearms charges. The boat was placed in the custody of the Honduran Navy.
The laws and procedures surrounding the case are clearly on the side of the Captain and crew. They are disputed only by the local judge and prosecutor. The ship was well within its rights to protect itself while traveling in troubled International waters. Detailed review of Honduran law and International protocol adopted and previously adhered to by Honduras, reveals that the Port Captain is to be the first to board a foreign vessel. He has the right to hold any firearms at his discretion. This did not happen. The Navy and Police intercepted the vessel, circumventing maritime protocol. The firearms officer with proper credentials on board the Aqua Quest was never called to testify during the truncated hearing.
Good question!....Yes I am planning on going back....I will structure things differently and I am forming a partnership with one of the most influential families in Honduras. My mistake was attempting this project with out an alliance with someone powerful. The agreement I have, was with the municipality of Ahuas. Good solid people, but no power and influence. Interestingly the Judge and Prosecutor who were the ringleaders of the extortion racket, were not Moskito Indians.
We are not letting a couple of corrupt snakes, stop a great project....
Thanks..
Bob
We are not letting a couple of corrupt snakes, stop a great project....
Thanks..
Bob
doc-d
Bronze Member
rhmaynejr, happy to see you are returning…….smart of you to bring on board some influential persons of Honduras……
The rule of law in Honduras seems to follow the "rule of law" in the USSA today……..
Vaya con Dios
The rule of law in Honduras seems to follow the "rule of law" in the USSA today……..
Vaya con Dios
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