Royal Navy seize £10.9m of drugs during a huge string of raids in the Gulf

Boarding teams from HMS Montrose uncovered the huge haul of narcotics after charging into action and searching suspicious vessels.

In the most recent operation, which lasted more than 10 hours, 2,145kg of hashish, heroin, and methamphetamine were seized.

This came just two days after a separate bust in which 275kg of heroin was seized in the same area.

The busts are the biggest haul recorded by the Type 23 frigate, which is stationed in the Gulf operating under the command of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) Combined Task Force 150.

In all, it’s estimated that Montrose has been responsible for seizing an estimated £10.9m worth of narcotics – cash which would have funded crime and terrorism.

Commander Ollie Hucker, Montrose’s skipper, who used to live in Southsea, said; ‘These interdictions have prevented significant amounts of illicit substances being sold on the streets, whilst denying criminal groups an income source often associated with the funding of terrorism.’

CTF-150 operates to disrupt the activity of criminal organisations, in particular narcotics and weapons smuggling.

After taking command of the task force in late January 2021, the Royal Canadian Navy has already overseen multiple significant successful raids, of which these two are the latest.

However, Montrose’s bust is the biggest one for CMF in almost a year.

‘As commander of Combined Task Force 150, my team is resolute in our objective to promote security, stability and prosperity in an area which comprises some of the world’s most important shipping routes,’ said Commodore Dan Charlebois, commander of CTF-150.

SEE ALSO: HMS Queen Elizabeth earmarked to join Greek independence party

‘This interdiction was a direct result of the collaborative effort between Task Force staff and HMS Montrose, to whose crew I send my personal thanks for their skill, determination and professionalism in a challenging environment. I look forward to future successes as we continue to work together as close partners towards our common goals.’

HMS Montrose is the Royal Navy’s Forward Deployed Frigate and has been in the region since early 2019.

The ship, currently based at Devonport in Plymouth, will be moving to her new home in Portsmouth next year, when she returns from the Gulf.

Looking for the latest Royal Navy updates from Portsmouth? Join our new Royal Navy news Facebook group to keep up to date.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news online - as well as our new Puzzles section.