British Personnel Seize 148 Bags Of Drugs In Middle East

The British warship made the discovery on a smuggling route known as 'Hash Highway' (Picture: Royal Navy).

The Defence Secretary has hailed the seizure of three tonnes of hashish by a Royal Navy warship as a "blow" to the illicit drugs trade.

Sailors and Royal Marines from HMS Dragon used fast boats to intercept and board a vessel which was found to contain 148 bags of hashish, weighing around 3,048kg.

The Royal Navy says the Type 45 destroyer was on patrol in the Middle East when they came across a suspicious boat sailing along a known drug smuggling route known as the ‘Hash Highway’.

The route runs from Afghanistan by land through Iran or Pakistan, and then across the sea to countries in east Africa and the Middle East.

HMS Dragon has been working in the region as part of the Combined Task Force 150, a multi-national organisation responsible for maintaining security in some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Profits from drug smuggling are a known source funding for terrorist organisations and criminal networks.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "The Royal Navy makes a significant contribution to global security by tackling the illicit drugs trade."

"The success of HMS Dragon’s seizure is the latest blow struck to this nefarious industry."

Commander Mike Carter-Quinn, HMS Dragon’s Commanding Officer, said: "This seizure is testament not only to days of focused hard work, but also to months of effort in preparation for HMS Dragon’s operational deployment.

"The Dragons – all 260 of my crew, from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and US Coastguard – have done themselves and their families proud and I couldn’t be more honoured to serve with them every day."