Royal Navy drugs bust in Caribbean
A Royal Navy warship has seized £21 million worth of cocaine after a 12-hour pursuit across the Caribbean.
![Royal Navy sailors loading the seized cocaine onto the deck of a US Coast Guard vessel [Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Stephen Johncock, Crown copyright]](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a61cb67ed915d0afc4666ed/s300_drug1.jpg)
Royal Navy sailors transferring the cocaine to a US Coast Guard vessel
After receiving information that a suspicious-looking vessel had been spotted by a maritime patrol aircraft, HMS Argyll, which is on counter-narcotics operations in the region, deployed to intercept it.
Argyll’s Lynx helicopter confirmed the vessel was acting in a way typical of being operated by drug smugglers, and her sea boats were sent across to capture the crew and contraband. Once on board, members of a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment and Royal Navy sailors discovered nearly 600 kilos of cocaine wrapped in bin bags.
Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois said:
The Royal Navy has a hard-earned record of tackling illegal drug smuggling and we should be extremely proud that HMS Argyll has been involved in a dramatic and very successful operation to disrupt the supply. The operation showed tenacity and professionalism.
HMS Argyll’s commanding officer, Commander Paul Hammond, said:
My team and I knew that a swift and correct interception was required in this case. We worked well with our international partners to give ourselves the best chance of success and I used the exceptional capabilities of a modern warship, including sea boats and the Lynx helicopter, to detain the crew and seize the drugs from the target vessel.
Royal Navy sailors loading the seized cocaine onto the deck of a US Coast Guard vessel [Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Stephen Johncock, Crown copyright]
This work is part of Operation Martillo, a 15-nation collaborative effort to deny transnational criminal organisations air and maritime access to the coastal regions of Central America with the goal of putting a stop to the illegal movement of drugs from South America to the western world.
HMS Argyll will continue to conduct counter-narcotics patrols in conjunction with the US Coast Guard and other partner nations to enhance regional security and deter illicit activity.