Royal Navy crew help with seizure of £105m drugs haul

Drugs worth more than £100 million that were being shipped across international waters have been seized with the help of a Royal Navy crew.

Operating under the command of the Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) a Sea King helicopter from Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Fort Rosalie spotted a suspicious boat while flying.

After drawing attention to the vessel in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Oman this week, Australian frigate HMAS Warramunga, working with RFA Fort Rosalie as part of the Combined Maritime Forces, intercepted it and found more than 3.5 tonnes of narcotics on board.

The value of the illicit substances that were seized was £105 million, the Ministry of Defence said.

Flight commander Lieutenant Commander Dan Breward of the Royal Navy said: “We’re delighted to have been able to contribute to CTF 150’s missions within the joint operations area.

“There was a massive effort from all parties involved from both Fort Rosalie and, ultimately, Warramunga.

“As long as drugs and weapons continue to be trafficked to aid terrorism, we will be here with the coalition members to stop them; we have a track record that we aim to build upon.”

As well as the drugs haul, RFA Fort Rosalie was also able to rescue three young Loggerhead turtles caught in a huge mass of fishing nets drifting through the water.

Freed with some delicate cutting, navigator Second Officer Thorsten Brabetz said discovering the sealife was not what the crew had expected.

“It was great to be able to save the turtles and release them back into the sea. It was a real feel-good moment for the boat’s crew and the entire ship,” he added.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson praised the “skill and professionalism” of Britain’s armed forces in working with “key allies like the Australians”.

“We are keeping our citizens safe by tackling the evil international drugs trade that funds terrorism,” he said.

“I am incredibly grateful that we have the best service men and women in the world who always go the extra mile, whether they are protecting us from harm or saving precious wildlife like this family of turtles.”

CTF 150 aims to track down vessels smuggling drugs and weapons, as well as deterring maritime terrorist activity in the region, which includes trade routes such as the Suez Canal.

Navies from the CMF, a coalition of 31 nations, take it in turns to lead the task force from either a command ship or the headquarters in Bahrain.