Overview

• Royal Marines and HMS Lancaster sailors recovered more than 1,000 kg of heroin, 660 kg of hashish and 6 kg of amphetamine from a dhow in the Arabian Sea, valued at £30 million on UK streets.
• Peregrine drones tracked the vessel for over 24 hours and a Wildcat helicopter maintained aerial oversight before two boarding teams stormed the dhow to secure the narcotics.
• Based in Bahrain, HMS Lancaster has now recorded its second major drug interception in three months during its counter-narcotics deployment in the Indian Ocean.
• The mission formed part of Combined Task Force 150’s operations, led by New Zealand, to cut off revenue streams for criminal and terrorist organisations.
• Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard praised the crew for keeping dangerous drugs off UK streets and underscored the Royal Navy’s vital global security role.