A UK navy frigate has seized drugs worth £30 million after stalking a smuggling boat for more than 24 hours in the Arabian Sea.
The trafficking vessel was first spotted by officers using the warship’s drones.
HMS Lancaster is working as part of the international Combined Task Force 150 which is tackling illegal activity in waters across the Middle East region.
The warship sent a Wildcat helicopter to support the operation as a team of 42 commandos boarded the smugglers' vessel and seized 80 packages of narcotics.
A Royal Navy spokesman said the haul comprised 1,000kg of heroin, 660kg of hashish, and 6kg of amphetamine, worth an estimated £30 million on UK streets.
“It’s the second bust in three months for the British warship, which is based in Bahrain and is attached to a New Zealand-led international task spread across the Indian Ocean hunting down illegal activity,” the spokesman said.
“And it’s the second time the Royal Navy’s new Peregrine drones – mini-helicopters which conduct reconnaissance sorties for hours on end and feed live information back to Lancaster’s operations room – have played a vital part in the success.”
Chris Chew, commanding officer of the warship, said: “This is another example of where Lancaster has delivered at range, in isolation, utilising her own organic assets.
“Whether they come in the form of her Wildcat, our uncrewed air system Peregrine, embarked intelligence team or her Royal Marine boarding team, they delivered on operations in support of the Combined Maritime Forces and New Zealand-led Combined Task Force 150.”
Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard praised the crew on “this significant seizure, which is keeping dangerous and illegal drugs off our streets”.
“This operation highlights the unique role our Royal Navy contributes, working to disrupt criminal operations around the world, keeping us secure at home and strong abroad,” he said.
In March, a team of marines and sailors were sent to intercept smugglers spotted transferring drugs from a small fast boat to a dhow.
The smugglers did not surrender but attempted to get rid of their illegal haul, dumping packages overboard that were then fished out by the warship's crew.
