Navy and Marines seize £33m of drugs in double swoop

Telegraph reporters
Marines and Navy sailors pose for a photograph of their haul on the deck of the Lancaster
Marines and Navy sailors pose for a photograph of their haul on the deck of the Lancaster - PA

The Royal Navy has seized more than £33 million worth of illegal drugs in the Middle East after two busts inside 24 hours.

HMS Lancaster intercepted smugglers in the Indian Ocean who were trying to move 3.7 tonnes of heroin, hashish and crystal meth.

The crew of the Lancaster, aided by the Royal Marines, captured two suspect vessels during an undated operation as part of a Canadian-led task force aimed at stopping criminal activity in the Middle East.

More than two tonnes of the drugs have now been destroyed after Marines and Navy sailors posed for a photograph of their haul on the deck of the Lancaster.

It comes a few weeks after the HMS Trent seized about £17 million worth of illegal drugs on an operation in the Caribbean.

Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, paid tribute to the “fantastic achievements” of the crew of HMS Lancaster and the Royal Marines.

“The Royal Navy continue to lead the UK’s commitment to disrupting drug smugglers across the globe,” he said.

The drugs weighed about 3.7 tonnes and are worth £33 million, the Navy said
The drugs weighed about 3.7 tonnes and are worth £33 million, the Navy said - PA

HMS Lancaster, a Duke-class Type 23 frigate, was on its first security patrol following a training period when its Wildcat helicopter spotted a suspicious vessel.

Over the next eight hours, Royal Marines from 42 Commando secured the vessel, allowing Lancaster’s crew to board the vessel. After a search, the team recovered nearly 100 packages containing heroin and crystal meth, the Ministry of Defence said.

A few hours later the ship’s Wildcat helicopter, from 815 Naval Air Squadron, was carrying out a dusk patrol of the Indian Ocean when crew encountered another suspicious vessel.

After tracking the vessel throughout the night, Royal Marine commandos boarded in the morning before the sailors joined them in another search.

The HMS Lancaster was on its first patrol as part of an international task force
The HMS Lancaster was on its first patrol as part of an international task force - ROYAL NAVY

In this second raid, 2.4 tonnes of hashish was recovered – bringing the total haul to 3.7 tonnes.

According to the National Crime Agency, the collective street value of the bust is about £33 million.

The British forces were operating as part of the Canadian-led Combined Task Force 150, which works to disrupt criminal activity across more than million square miles of ocean in the Middle East.

Commander Chris Sharp, the HMS Lancaster’s commanding officer, said: “I am exceptionally proud of the entire team in Lancaster executing these two interdictions on the first two days of our deployment.

“Complex interceptions like these in such a challenging environment require true teamwork across the entire ship’s company.

“This success is shared with our partners in CTF 150 who provided essential support to the operation.”

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