Scripps Research Vessel Seized as Tiny Amount of Pot Is Found

A scientific research ship operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been seized by U. S. Customs officials in Honolulu after a search with dogs turned up a small amount of marijuana allegedly belonging to a low-ranking crewman.

The seizure Monday of the Thomas Washington, a 209-foot vessel that is Scripps’ second-largest research ship, was made under the federal government’s controversial “zero tolerance” anti-drug campaign and is the second such seizure of a research ship in less than a year.

Last May, Customs agents in San Diego seized the Atlantis II, the grand dame of the U. S. research fleet, after agents found a trace of marijuana in a crewman’s shaving kit. The vessel, owned by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, wasn’t formally returned for two months, though it was allowed to continue its scientific work.

That seizure and others drew widespread public and congressional criticism and prompted Customs to quietly back away from some cases involving minuscule amounts of drugs or drug paraphernalia. The Coast Guard also modified its seizure policies. And just last month, the federal government further revised its policies, saying it would stop seizing fishing boats in cases in which only “personal amounts” of drugs are found.

In the case of Monday’s seizure, Customs officials conducted an “intensive search” of the Thomas Washington using drug-sniffing dogs. Authorities found 4.5 grams of marijuana hidden in a berth of crew member Kenneth G. Racca Jr., 28, a wiper who is from San Diego.

The ship, which is owned by the Navy but has been operated by Scripps since 1965, left San Diego a year ago on a yearlong research cruise. When it docked in Honolulu on Monday, it was returning from Pago Pago in American Samoa.

Scripps spokesman Chuck Colgan said the vessel was routinely searched by the ship’s captain before docking at the University of Hawaii’s Pier 45 in Honolulu Harbor in preparation for Customs.

“We don’t know why the dogs were there,” said Colgan. “At this amount (of marijuana), we’re not talking about smuggling. It’s for personal use, if that.”

The boat carries a crew of 15 and about 15 scientists. Both crew members and scientists must sign a document acknowledging that no drugs will be tolerated on board.

The Thomas Washington is scheduled to depart Honolulu on Saturday for a 30-day research cruise around Hawaii, and is due back in San Diego about May 29, Colgan said.

But Scripps officials are worried that the seizure could be costly, if the ship is not allowed to leave.

“Our hope is this matter can be resolved soon . . . and that Scripps can leave port on schedule,” said Scripps’ director Edward A. Frieman in a prepared statement. “Expeditions are planned years in advance and require the coordination of people and materials from very many organizations from around the world. A delay in the ship’s departure from Honolulu would have a considerable adverse impact on the effectiveness and expense of the balance of the crew’s operations.”

Crewman to Appear in Court

George Roberts, Customs Service district director in Honolulu, said Tuesday that the vessel could be returned to Scripps after an administrative petitioning process and payment of a fine. And another Customs official in Hawaii said, “We’ll do all we can to expedite the release of this ship.”

Colgan, the Scripps spokesman, said the institution was not certain what it would have to do to get the boat released, but he said that Scripps hopes to avoid a fine, because no fine was levied in the Atlantis II seizure.

Racca, the crew member, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Honolulu on Thursday, where he faces one charge each of importation and possession of a controlled substance. A court spokeswoman told the Associated Press that he would likely be fined and released.

Colgan said Racca’s duties as a wiper involved “spending his day wiping things off, like oily engines and things.”

John Miller, a spokesman for Customs in Los Angeles, said Tuesday that the agency has modified its zero-tolerance policy only in relation to commercial fishing vessels.

The anti-drug crackdown, which began last spring, is still in force for all other vessels, including the one operated by Scripps, he said.

Under zero tolerance, boats can be seized by Customs if even minute amounts of drugs are found on board.

However, if small amounts of drugs are found on commercial fishing vessels, he said, the vessels are placed under “constructive seizure,” meaning that the owners may continue operating the boats until their legal cases are resolved. Physical seizure of such boats might cause “undue hardship” on innocent owners who might be unaware of the actions of their crews, he said.

Because the Scripps vessel is not a commercial fishing vessel, it was physically seized, Miller said.

Since the zero-tolerance campaign began last spring, 17 boats have been seized by Customs in its Western region, which includes seven Western states, he said. All but two have been returned to their owners, he said.

Either Scripps or the Navy has the right to appeal the seizure through legal channels, Miller said.