UK Royal Navy Seizes $15,3M Worth of Drugs in Arabian Sea
Royal Marines from the UK Navy's HMS Montrose Frigate have seized £11 million (USD 15,3 million) worth of illegal drugs in two raids of suspect vessels in the Arabian Sea, the UK Ministry of Defence and the Navy said in statements on Wednesday.
The Royal Marines seized 2.4 tonnes worth of illegal drugs
from a suspect boat in the Northern Arabian Sea, on a counter-narcotics patrol.
This was the second drug bust by the HMS Montrose crew in two days.
According to the statement by the UK government, in an
operation lasting over 10 hours, 2.4 tonnes of heroin, crystal methamphetamine,
and hashish were seized.
The Navy said the marines had found an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of
illegal narcotics: hundreds of bags and sacks of hashish, heroin, and
methamphetamine.
“Everywhere we looked onboard there were suspicious
packages,” said boarding team leader Lieutenant Gorton RM. “We soon realized
how much we had interdicted.”
This came just two days after a separate bust in which HMS
Montrose - which is based in Bahrain on a three-year security mission - seized
275kg of heroin from another suspect boat in the area.
“Having secured the vessel with my Royal Marines, we
discovered the drugs in large bundled sacks, all containing individually
wrapped packages. As soon as we opened the bags we were pretty confident it was
an illicit substance,” Lieutenant Gorton RM said of the first bust.
The combined haul of drugs has an estimated wholesale value
of £11 million (USD 15,3 million), according to the statement by the UK
Ministry of Defence.
"The operations have prevented large amounts of illicit
drugs potentially entering the UK and being sold on British streets, and the
seizures help deny criminals an income source often associated with the funding
of terrorism.
"Our adversaries will use any and all means to achieve
their objectives and undermine our interests. As a responsible nation with
global interests, and to keep the UK safe in this changing world, the defense
is stepping forward to play our part in these international operations targeting
the smuggling of illegal substances," the statement by the UK Ministry of
Defence further reads.
Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey said: "The
Royal Navy and Royal Marines have once again proven their professionalism and
operational capability in seizing illicit substances in transit."
"The Armed Forces are committed to tackling organized
crime around the world. The Royal Navy works with our allies in the Coalition
Task Force to protect our people and our interests."
"As a result of these operations, Britain’s streets are
safer and a possible source of terrorist financing has been choked off."
HMS Montrose is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF),
a multi-national force of 33 nations currently led by the Royal Canadian Navy,
working in the Gulf region to disrupt criminal and terrorist organizations and
their illicit activity. Coalition Task Force 150, as part of the CMF, operates
to disrupt the activity of criminal organizations, in particular narcotics and
weapons smuggling.
HMS Montrose last made a drugs bust in October 2020 when
sailors and marines seized 450 kilograms of methamphetamine, with a wholesale
value of £18 million, which was the largest ever seizure of methamphetamines by
the Royal Navy in the Gulf.
A spokesperson for Combined Maritime Forces said: "The
Royal Navy, working with the Combined Maritime Forces, has carried out another
successful operation to stop illicit substances reaching Europe. This builds on
the Royal Navy’s fantastic work in the Caribbean during the hurricane season,
where £360 million worth of drugs were seized across an eight-month
period."
HMS Montrose is the Royal Navy’s Forward Deployed Frigate in
the Gulf and has been in the region since leaving its base port of Devonport in
early 2019.
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