Lawyers: Cocaine Found on Cruise Ship Captain's Hair

But it's not clear whether Francesco Schettino took the drug
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 18, 2012 11:17 AM CST
Lawyers: Cocaine Found on Cruise Ship Captain's Hair
Italian navy scuba divers sail past the cruise ship Costa Concordia on Jan. 21.   (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Some potentially bad news for the captain of that cruise ship that sank off the coast of Italy: Lawyers representing survivors say traces of cocaine were found on a sample of Francesco Schettino's hair, reports AP. But then it gets a little confusing: No cocaine was found in his hair—just on it—or in his urine. That suggests he didn't ingest the drug but somehow still ended up wearing it. The upshot is that the tests will likely have to be done again.

It's a "strange, passive contamination," says the consumer protection group that conducted the tests, and it raises the possibility that the sample was contaminated. Schettino faces possible manslaughter charges in last month's accident, in which 32 people are missing or dead. (More Francesco Schettino stories.)

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