Royal Navy seizes £100m cocaine

Royal Navy Sailors

Royal Navy sailors have seized cocaine worth around £100m in a drugs bust while on patrol in the Caribbean, Skynews reports.

Sailors from HMS Lancaster seized 1,500lb (680kg) of pure cocaine, after boarding a speedboat near the island of Puerto Rico, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

The 30ft (9m) boat, which was covered with a tarpaulin, had been spotted by a US Customs and Border Agency aircraft, prompting the bust.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond praised the crew’s work, saying: “This extraordinary quantity of drugs has been stopped from reaching the streets by the swift actions of the Royal Navy, working closely with the US Coast Guard.

“This is HMS Lancaster’s second counter-narcotics patrol in the Caribbean to tackle the drugs trade and the entire ship’s company should be proud of this remarkable achievement.

“This is another example of the skills and capability that mean our Armed Forces are held in high regard by our partners around the world.”

After the speedboat was spotted by US officials, a Lynx helicopter and high-speed pursuit boat were launched from Portsmouth-based HMS Lancaster to intercept the vessel.

Three suspected smugglers threw the drugs overboard, but they were recovered by divers, the MoD said.

 A total of 22 bales of pure cocaine were seized along with the three men.

The men, and the drugs, were handed over to the Coast Guard cutter Sapelo and then authorities in Puerto Rico.

The empty drugs boat was then sunk by Royal Navy gunfire – in line with standard procedure — to prevent its use in future smuggling operations.

The Type 23 frigate’s commanding officer, Commander Steve Moorhouse, said it was working with US authorities as part of a joint effort to fight drug smuggling in the Caribbean.

“This is a great result, not only for Lancaster but also everyone involved in the multinational effort to stem the flow of drugs in the region,” he said.

“My ship’s company can be incredibly proud of what they have achieved, their professionalism and teamwork continue to shine, and our close relationship with our partner nations and law enforcement agencies is proving to be hugely successful.

“This is the ship’s third success in as many weeks and follows on from the seizure of a shipment of marijuana with a street value of up to £700,000 and the stopping of another craft with a significant amount of cocaine and heroin on board.”

HMS Lancaster is currently on patrol with a team from the US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment who provide intelligence in catching drug runners.

She is on her second counter-narcotics patrol of the Caribbean region and will be on station until the end of the year.

The patrols are part of Operation Martillo, a 15-nation effort to fight drug smuggling and to stop the movement of drugs from South America into the Caribbean and onwards to the UK.

Over the past year the US Coast Guard has seized 45,195lbs (20,500kg) of cocaine and 8,500lb (3,855kg) of marijuana during 22 law enforcement interceptions — averaging more than a ton per intercept.

Great Job guys.....