Royal Marines seized more than £30 million of illegal drugs after swooping on a dhow in the Arabian Sea.
A sniper, in a Wildcat helicopter, oversaw the raid which also involved Royal Navy sailors from HMS Lancaster.
The British drug-busting mission secretly tracked the dhow - a traditional Arab sailing vessel - for more than 24 hours through the Arabian Sea using Peregrine drones, the Royal Navy said, before recovering more than 1½ tonnes of illegal narcotics.
Two boats, carrying boarding teams from 42 Commando and sailors from the Type 23 frigate, then stormed towards the dhow in a pincher movement to force the crew to surrender.
They discovered 80 packages on board the vessel.
The haul came to 1,000kg heroin, 660kg hashish, and 6kg of amphetamine, according to Royal Navy sources, worth an estimated £30 million on UK streets.
The Royal Navy said that it was 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.
HMS Lancaster’s Commanding Officer Commander Chris Chew stressed: “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.”
Britain’s Armed Forces Luke Pollard said: “I congratulate the crew of HMS Lancaster 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.”
HMS Lancaster’s Principal Warfare Officer Lieutenant Commander Dean Taylor said the bust was deserved reward for “hard work and enterprise” by the ship’s crew.
“This team effort provided the best platform for our Royal Marine and Royal Navy Boarding Teams to do what they do best ¬– securing and searching a vessel resulting in a great find and huge win for HMS Lancaster,” he added.
Marine Engineering Technician Peter Black, who steered the dhow aftr its crew were detained, emphasised: “The boarding was a fantastic success with an estimated £30 million street value worth of drugs seized and stopped from hitting the streets.”
Commodore Rodger Ward RNZN, Commander of Combined Task Force 150, said the raid was a “significant blow to the revenue stream” of a drugs gang.
“Everyone in the team can be proud of their efforts to disrupt the criminal and terrorist organisations that continue to use illicit narcotics to fund their activities,” he added.
HMS Lancaster is a Type 23 frigate deployed to the Middle East region on a long-term mission as part of wider efforts by the UK to provide regional maritime security and stability.
