A Royal Navy warship seized more than £10m worth of drugs after marines boarded two ships in the Indian Ocean and Gulf within 12 hours and discovered tons of narcotics in dawn and dusk raids.
HMS Lancaster had a busy weekend as it carried out searches on two suspected vessels and also worked closely with the US Navy to support a merchant vessel that reported harassment.
The Type 23 frigate seized more than seven tons of hashish, heroin and methamphetamine in the two operations, which were part of the ship’s security patrol in the region, where it is deployed on a long-term mission.
In the first call as part of a dawn mission, the ship’s specialist Royal Marines boarding team found 3.5 tonnes of narcotics after tracking a suspicious ship since the early hours of the morning.
That night, the ship’s Wildcat helicopter spotted another vessel and the boarding party went into action once more to seize another 3.7 tons and complete the impressive double drug bust.
The Royal Marines specialist boarding team from HMS Lancaster found 3.5 tonnes of narcotics after tracking down a suspicious vessel. Later they found another 3.7 tons of drugs.
Bags of drugs from one of the raided ships were placed, with members of the ship’s crew posing in front of the loot.
The massive scale of the drug bust was exposed, with dozens of bags of narcotics placed on the deck of the ship.
These latest seizures come after Lancaster seized a £2.5m worth of hashish cache last month.
The impressive hauls were staged on the frigate, with dozens of bags covering much of the deck.
The sheer scale of the stockpiles was also exposed by images of the piles of narcotics being transported on the suspected ships.
Once recovered, members of the armed forces posed with the bags, which were then destroyed so that the narcotics they contained would never enter the market in Britain or anywhere else.
Commander Tom Johnson, the ship’s commanding officer, said: “I am immensely proud of my entire team for their efforts to successfully execute two boardings, in challenging conditions and in 12 hours.”
‘This comes less than a day after the conclusion of an intense period of maritime security operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
One of the suspected vessels that specialist Royal Marines teams were photographed boarding
The two operations were part of the ship’s security patrol in the region, where it is deployed on a long-term mission.
Over £10m worth of drugs after Marines boarded two ships in Indian Ocean and Gulf within 12 hours
‘It was a real success for the team; to bring together the efforts of my team with those of a wide range of international supporting organizations that have worked tirelessly to achieve this result.’
The operations in the Strait of Hormuz involved American and British sailors who came to the aid of a ship the US Navy said had been “harassed” by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
A Navy spokesman said: “The situation calmed down approximately an hour later when the merchant ship confirmed that the fast attack craft had left the scene. The merchant ship continued to transit the Strait of Hormuz without further incident.
The Strait of Hormuz is a particularly volatile region, with the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes.
is widely considered the most significant bottleneck to the global energy economy, and is plagued by piracy and geopolitical tensions.
Following the first drug bust in the region over the weekend, samples were taken and the drugs, with a UK wholesale value of £5.5m, were destroyed.
During the boarding operation, there were indications that the vessel had started its journey from the Iranian coast, before loading the drugs into the sea from another vessel.
With a successful seizure complete, it wasn’t long before Lancaster was called in again, this time with her embarked Wildcat helicopter spotting the suspicious boat.
A large number of packages found on the suspicious vessel were confirmed to be hashish
The vast scale of the stockpiles was also exposed by images of the piles of narcotics being transported on the suspected ships.
The Wildcat was patrolling the surrounding seas acting as the ship’s eyes when suspicious activity was called.
The helicopter is one of the many tools Lancaster employs while conducting operations at sea.
They can transmit information in real time to the ship’s control center for the commanding officer to make decisions.
As the sun set over the Indian Ocean, the frigate’s boarding team, having just restarted from the previous boarding, sprang into action to do it all over again.
A large number of packages were found on the suspected vessel and confirmed to be hashish.
A total of 376 bags were recovered, weighing 3.7 tonnes and having a UK wholesale value of just over £4m.
The sacks were then destroyed so that the narcotics they contained would never enter the market in Britain or anywhere else.
After the first raid, samples were taken and the drugs, which have a UK wholesale value of £5.5m, were destroyed.
The second haul means HMS Lancaster has prevented 10.4 tonnes of illegal narcotics from hitting the streets this year.
Deputy Commander of the UK Maritime Component in Bahrain, Captain Will Paston, added: “The technical expertise, tactical proficiency, consistent professionalism and investigative thoroughness were evident throughout the boarding process.
“These seizures were a direct result of the countless hours of dedication by HMS Lancaster and the broader support team in Bahrain.”
Later, Lancaster worked closely with US Navy aircraft to monitor a merchant ship, which reported harassment by several small vessels.
Lancaster’s crew launched their Wildcat helicopter to assess the situation and provide real-time information to the ship’s commanding officer. The small boat dispersed and the merchant ship was able to continue on its way.
The Navy says the ship is part of the UK’s long-standing presence in the Middle East and is on a three-year mission to work with allies to support maritime security and counter illegal activity.
HMS Lancaster recently played an integral role in helping to evacuate British citizens from Sudan after violence broke out in the North African country between rival military factions.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.