Royal Navy frigate HMS Monmouth, known as the ‘Black Duke’, seized 266 kilogrammes heroin and 455kg cannabis resin, with a total street value in the UK of around £65m from a vessel in Indian Ocean.
The contrabands, which were hidden in the freezer of a fishing ship, were later destroyed by the British soldiers.
The suspicious dhow was intercepted by two teams of the British war ship in the Indian Ocean in an area not normally known for fishing.
The teams, comprising Royal Marines from 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group and the other of Royal Navy search specialists , spent 60 hours painstakingly scouring the vessel for narcotics, before eventually finding them hidden in a freezer beneath three tonnes of ice.
“Such a substantial seizure of drugs will deal a significant blow to the international narcotics trade which is known to provide funding for terrorist organisations,” said HMS Monmouth’s Commanding Officer Ian Feasey.
Lieutenant Alison Ross, one of HMS Monmouth’s boarding officers, said: “After such a long search I had doubts we would find anything, but the reactions of the crew to our activity in certain areas was enough to convince us that there was illegal cargo.
HMS Monmouth will now continue her patrols of the Indian Ocean as part of Combined Task Force 150 (CTF150), a coalition of warships with a mission to promote maritime security in order to counter terrorist acts and related illegal activities, which terrorists use to fund or conceal their movements.
