by Grant Prior • Two haulage bosses are hoping trucks
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and trailers worth £250,000 will be released from a Turkish compound following a hearing scheduled to take place today (Thursday).
The vehicles were seized last November as part of a Turkish police investigation into an alleged export fraud ring.
Three drivers working for Ralph Davies International Haulage and Weetwood Freight Services returned to Britain last week after spending Christmas in jail under suspicion of being part of the alleged fraud.
Tony Quinn, Graham Quinn and Peter Thomas were released due to insufficient evidence on condition they return for another court hearing into the case on 25 January.
But the drivers are vowing never to set foot in Turkey again after their ordeal.
Haulier Ralph Davies believes he will be asked to stump up a cash guarantee if the Turkish judge agrees to release the trucks.
"We will get them back, but we'll have to put up some sort of bank bond to the tune of £4050.000 while the trial proper continues.
"We have done nothing wrong and yet we are being held to ransom," says Ralph Davies.
Weetwood boss Mike Jack runs three trucks from his Bradford base. "Two of my Scanias are impounded at the moment and my whole business has ground to a virtual halt," he says.
The Turkish police investigation centres on loads containing less than their allotted documentation.
Larger cargoes qualify for greater export incentive payments from the Turkish Government.
"We've all been unwittingly caught up in this and there is a lesson to be learnt for other hauliers travelling to foreign countries," says Davies.
Both Davies and Jack are planning to sue the Turkish authorities and exporting company once their vehicles are returned.