Royal Navy Seizes More Than £3m Of Drugs In Gulf

The Royal Navy has seized more than £3m worth of drugs in the northern Arabian Sea.

HMS Montrose recovered nearly three tonnes of hash and heroin from a dhow during a 10-hour operation.

The bust was HMS Montrose's third in just over a month after confiscating £11m worth of narcotics over two operations in mid-February in the same waters.

The latest haul happened after HMS Montrose finished a major training exercise off the coast of Oman.

The frigate's Wildcat helicopter spotted the suspect vessel during a routine patrol.

"When we radioed in what we'd found, the ship turned to steam towards us, and the chain had started, ultimately leading to this success," said Lieutenant Max Cosby, the Wildcat's commander.

Once within close range, HMS Montrose launched her commando boarding team in fast boats.

Sailors and marines were able to discover 50kg of hashish and 2,800kg of heroin on the dhow, with a combined wholesale value of £3.24m.

At the time of the operation, HMS Montrose was attached to a Canadian-led task group known as Combined Task Force 150, which aims to disrupt criminal and terrorist activity in the Indian Ocean, as well as the illegal trade of drugs and weapons in the region.

Cover image: Royal Navy.