A massive drug haul worth over $1 billion has been seized in the Middle East by a New Zealand-led maritime task force.
The Royal Navy Frigate HMS Lancaster intercepted a suspicious cargo vessel while patrolling in the North Arabian Sea late last week.
Using a Peregrine uncrewed arial system to track the dhow, Royal Marine boarding teams stormed the ship while a Wildcat helicopter with a Royal Marine sniper team covered them.
Once the crew of six were secured, boarding teams discovered 1000kg of heroin, 660kg of hashish, and 6kg of amphetamine tablets hidden onboard. The drugs were transported back to Lancaster for testing and disposal.
It was the largest value narcotics interdiction made under New Zealand command this year.
Lancaster Commanding Officer, Commander Chris Chew, credited the success of the operation to the professionalism and dedication of the crew.
“This is another example of where Lancaster has delivered at range, in isolation, using her own organic assets,” he said.
CTF 150 Commander Commodore Roger Ward of the Royal New Zealand Navy called the operation a “significant blow” to the revenue streams of criminal and terrorist organisations involved in drug smuggling.
“Conducting maritime interdictions requires a team effort from the men and women here in the headquarters in Bahrain reaching through to those out on the oceans disrupting drug smuggling operations at the coal face,” he said.
“I’d like to acknowledge the 210-strong ship’s company from Lancaster for continuing to get amongst it day-after-day.”
CTF 150 was one of five operational task forces under the Combined Maritime Forces based in Bahrain and focused on regional maritime security.
So far, the task force and its partners have seized narcotics with a New Zealand street value of $1.8 billion, Commodore Ward said.
“Furthermore, we estimate that our presence and the intelligence collected from our operations has resulted in the disruption of nearly three times that amount.”
