Royal Navy joins forces with US Coast Guard in new global crime-fighting deal targeting drug gangs

The Senior Service has joined forces with the US Coast Guard (USCG) in a fresh attempt to clampdown on crime across the globe.

The two forces already combine to stop drugs traffickers in the Caribbean and Middle East, assist each other with operations in the polar regions, run exchange programmes for sailors and frequently work and train side-by-side around the globe.

Now they’ve signed a ‘statement of intent’ to expand their combined commitments, working in tandem in four key areas: forward presence, maritime domain awareness, operations in the ‘high north’ and personnel exchange programmes.

A spokesman from the Royal Navy said: ‘The next-level co-operation will see Royal Navy and USCG ships work more closely in areas of strategic interest – such as the Caribbean, Gulf of Guinea, Mediterranean, East Africa and the Indo-Asia Pacific.

‘These are regions where the Royal Navy’s modern patrol ships are permanently operating, with HMS Trent focused on the Mediterranean and Gulf of Guinea, HMS Medway working in the Caribbean and HMS Tamar and Spey deployed across a vast area, from the eastern shores of Africa to the west coast of the USA.

‘The new agreement could pave the way to more USCG law enforcement detachments deploying on Royal Navy ships, which have previously had successful deployments in the Caribbean with RFA Wave Knight and RFA Argus, resulting in millions of pounds worth of drugs seized.’

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