Royal Navy seizes more than £10million of drugs after boarding two ships within 12 hours

A Royal Navy warship seized more than £10 million worth of drugs after marines boarded two ships in the Indian Ocean and Gulf within 12 hours and discovered tons of narcotics during dawn and dusk raids.

HMS Lancaster had a busy weekend as it conducted the searches of two suspected ships and also worked closely with the US Navy to support a merchant ship reporting harassment.

The Type 23 frigate has captured more than seven tons of hashish, heroin and methamphetamine during the two operations, which were part of the ship’s security patrol in the region, where she is deployed on a long-term mission.

On first call as part of a morning mission, the ship’s Royal Marines shipboard team found 3.5 tonnes of narcotics after tracking down a suspicious ship since the early hours of the morning.

That evening, the ship’s Wildcat helicopter spotted another craft and the boarding team sprang into action again to seize another 3.7 tons and complete the impressive double drug bust.

These latest seizures come after Lancaster seized a stockpile of hashish worth £2.5 million last month.

In the photo, the impressive barges were displayed on the frigate, with dozens of bags covering much of the deck.

The sheer size of the stockpile was also exposed by photos of the piles of narcotics being transported on the suspected boats.

Once recovered, members of the armed forces posed with the bags, which were later destroyed so that the narcotics they contained would never reach the market in Britain or elsewhere.

Commander Tom Johnson, the ship’s commanding officer, said: ‘I am immensely proud of my entire team for their efforts to successfully complete two boardings, under challenging conditions, and within 12 hours.

This comes less than a day after the conclusion of an intense period of maritime security operations in the Strait of Hormuz.

‘It was a real team success; bringing my team’s efforts together with those of a host of international support organizations who have all worked tirelessly to achieve this result.’

In operations in the Strait of Hormuz, US and British sailors came to the rescue of a ship the US Navy said had been “harassed” by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

A Navy spokesman said: “The situation de-escalated about an hour later when the merchant vessel confirmed that the fast attack craft had left the scene. The merchant ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz without further incident.”

The Strait of Hormuz is a particularly unstable region, with the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes.

It is widely considered the main bottleneck for the global energy economy, and is plagued by both piracy and geopolitical tensions.

Following the region’s first drug bust over the weekend, samples were taken and the drugs, with a UK wholesale value of £5.5 million, were destroyed.

During boarding, there were indications that the ship had started its journey from the Iranian coast, before the drugs were embarked at sea from another ship.

After one successful attack was completed, it wasn’t long before Lancaster was summoned again – this time with her embarked Wildcat helicopter spotting the suspicious boat.

The Wildcat patrolled the surrounding seas and acted as the ship’s eyes as they reported suspicious activity.

The helicopter is one of several instruments used by Lancaster during naval operations.

They can send real-time information back 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, which had only just reset from the previous boarding, sprang into action to do it all over again.

A large amount of packages were found on the suspected ship and it was confirmed to be hashish.

A total of 376 bags were recovered, weighing 3.7 tonnes and with a UK wholesale value of just over £4 million.

The second catch means HMS Lancaster has now prevented 10.4 tonnes of illegal narcotics from reaching the streets this year.

Captain Will Paston, Deputy Commander of the UK’s Naval Components in Bahrain, added: ‘The technical expertise, tactical skill, steadfast professionalism and thorough investigations were evident throughout the embarkation process.

“These seizures were a direct result of the countless hours of dedication by HMS Lancaster and the wider support team in Bahrain.”

Lancaster later worked closely with U.S. Navy aircraft to monitor a merchant vessel, which reported harassment by a number of small vessels.

The Lancaster crew launched their Wildcat helicopter to assess the situation and provide real-time information to the ship’s commanding officer. The small craft dispersed and the merchant ship was able to continue on its way.

The navy says the ship is part of the UK’s continued 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 nationals from the Sudan after violence broke out in the North African country between rival military factions.