Tintin is informed by Thomson and Thompson of a case involving the ramblings of a drunken man , later killed , found with a scrap of paper from what appear to be a tin of crab meat with the word " Karaboudjan " scrawled on it . His subsequent investigation and the kidnapping of a Japanese man interested in giving him a letter lead Tintin to a ship called the Karaboudjan , where he is abducted by a syndicate of criminals who have hidden opium in the crab tins . Tintin escapes from his locked room after Snowy chews through his bonds and Tintin knock out a man sent to bring him food , leaving the man bound and gagged in the room . Tintin encounter Captain Haddock , an alcoholic sea captain , who is manipulated by his first mate , Allan , and is unaware of his crew 's criminal activities . Tintin hides in the locker under the bed and defeat Jumbo , the sailor left in the cabin , while Allan think Tintin have climbed out of the porthole back into the storeroom . He blow open the storeroom door , then finding it empty go back to the Captain 's room , where he find Jumbo tied to a chair and gagged . Escaping the ship in a lifeboat after sending a radio message to the police about the cargo , a seaplane try to attack them . Tintin and the Captain hijack the plane , tie up the pilots , and try to reach Spain . Haddock 's drunken behaviour in a storm cause them to crash @-@ land in the Sahara , where the crew escapes .