Chong Chon Gang Ship- Photo: AFP

(VOVworld)- Panama has released almost all the crew members - 32 out of 35 - of the North Korean ship detained in the Panama Canal last July for transporting Cuban arms without declaring them after the officers in charge paid the fine levied on them. The Panama official Jorge Quijano said that representatives of the Chong Chon Gang on Saturday paid the 693,333 USD fine imposed on the ship and the ship was released. The three North Koreans in detention are accused of threatening public security - a crime punishable with up to 12 years in jail - by smuggling an arsenal of weapons under 200,000 sacks of sugar.