HMS Montrose and her Royal Marines have seized £11 million of drugs in the Gulf.
Royal Marines from HMS Montrose, part of a Combined Maritime Forces Task Force in the Middle East, boarded a suspect boat while on a counter-narcotics patrol.
According to the Royal Navy:
“In an operation lasting over 10 hours, 2.4 tonnes of heroin, crystal methamphetamine and hashish were seized. This came just two days after a separate bust in which HMS Montrose seized 275kg of heroin from another suspect boat in the area. The combined haul of almost three tonnes of drugs has an estimated wholesale value of £11 million.”
“The operations have prevented large amounts of illicit drugs potentially entering the UK and being sold on British streets, and the seizures help deny criminals an income source often associated with the funding of terrorism. Our adversaries will use any and all means to achieve their objectives and undermine our interests. As a responsible nation with global interests, and to keep the UK safe in this changing world, defence is stepping forward to play our part in these international operations targeting the smuggling of illegal substances.”
Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey said:
“The Royal Navy and Royal Marines have once again proven their professionalism and operational capability in seizing illicit substances in transit. The Armed Forces are committed to tackling organised crime around the world. The Royal Navy works with our allies in the Coalition Task Force to protect our people and our interests. As a result of these operations, Britain’s streets are safer and a possible source of terrorist financing has been choked off.”
HMS Montrose is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a multi-national force of 33 nations currently led by the Royal Canadian Navy, working in the Gulf region to disrupt criminal and terrorist organisations and their illicit activity.
Coalition Task Force 150, as part of the CMF, operates to disrupt the activity of criminal organisations, in particular narcotics and weapons smuggling.
Not a matlow, but looking at the 2 different uniforms above (ok there is a third, but its only one geezer) got me thinking exactly how much space do sailors get to pack all their gear away whilst at sea. I take it , its not a lot
No, it’s not alot. On T23 you will get a small locker (can’t remember the dimensions) and a boot draw under your pit. You can chuck most of your other gear In the baggage store. T45’s and the carrier’s and future vessels have considerable larger lockers and beds, and 6 man mess decks instead of the 24 man chicken coops of older vessels ?
You’re right, even in today’s relatively big ships space is still tight. And the geezer front right is an engineer officer, they always wear white overalls.
It’s the MEO… He probably sleeps in them!
The further up the tree you go the more locker space and cabin space you get.
As a baby tiff in 82 it was a locker maybe big enough to hang 10 shirts up in with 5 draws alongside, each about the size of a bedside cabinet draw. 3 high bunks and 30 people in the mess deck.
Get to Warrant and I had a two berth cabin to myself cupboards, draws, coat lockers, a writing desk under my bed… Even had a TV connection… Which I never used… TVs in cabins are the death of mess social life.
Some familiar faces in that photo! Glad to see they are keeping busy…its not like they can have a run ashore in the present conditions.
WTF is a type 23 doing at the Guards depot? ;0)
I have often wondered if any of the drugs that are confiscated could be used “commercially” in the medical industry or similar.
It would be a shame to destroy “good quality” drugs that could be re-purposed by the pharmaceutical industry.
Anyone know if the can or are re-purposed ?
I spoke to the RAN on Warramunga and Arunta who had a huge record of hauls about this The Aussies had a wheelie bin over the back end with the bottom full of holes. They put a fire hose in it and wearing PPE split the bags and washed it all away.
They did say (jokingly) they had a lot of trippy fish and dolphins following the ships around where ever they went looking for another hit.