A Royal Navy warship has seized £15.5 million (about N480b) worth of drugs from a boat in the Arabian Sea in its fifth narcotics raid this year.
HMS Montrose targeted the small vessel after the ship’s Wildcat helicopter tracked the movements of the suspect boat.
A boarding party of Royal Marines searched the vessel and found 870kg of crystal meth in a secret compartment following the six-hour operation.
The haul has a wholesale value of £15.5 million, according to the National Crime Agency.
Navy officers stormed the boat before discovering the drugs in a hidden compartment onboard.
HMS Montrose, based in Devonport, Plymouth, has been deployed in the Middle East since 2019.
It has seized an estimated £47m worth of drugs and two illegal arms shipments so far this year.
The frigate is part of the Saudi-led Combined Task Force 150, a partnership of 38 nations involved in maritime security operations across the Red and Arabian Seas, and parts of the Indian Ocean.
Commander Claire Thompson, the frigate’s commanding officer, said: ‘We have disrupted the unlawful use of the oceans.
‘A seizure of this size will deal a huge blow to the criminal or terrorist gangs using these illegal narcotics to fund their activity.
‘This success proves we will persistently deny criminals the freedom to conduct their illegal activity on the high seas.
‘Disrupting terrorist organisations, criminals and their funding lines is key to keeping to UK, and rest of the world, safe.
‘It is a privilege to command HMS Montrose and the incredibly professional, highly-trained and dedicated personnel that I have on my team.
‘I could not be prouder of each and every one of them.’
