Royal Navy: HMS Lancaster seizes £33m of drugs with narcotics destroyed after targeting ships in Middle East

HMS Lancaster targeted illicit ships on two separate occasions, confiscating four tonnes of narcotics including heroin, hashish and crystal meth. Sailors were deployed alongside Royal Marines under the banner of the Canadian-led Combined Task Force 150, who are in charge of deterring criminals in the Middle East.

Commanding Officer Commander Chris Sharp said: “I am exceptionally proud of the entire team in Lancaster executing these two interdictions on the first two days of our deployment. Complex interceptions like these in such a challenging environment require true teamwork across the entire ship’s company. This success is shared with our partners in CTF 150 who provided essential support to the operation.”

The Duke-class Type 23 frigate was on her first day of patrol after sea training when her Wildcat helicopter spotted a suspect vessel. An eight-hour operation began with Royal Marines from 42 Commando securing the ship. A boarding team of sailors recovered nearly 100 small packages following an in-depth search of the dhow.

Crew were celebrating their success when the Wildcat helicopter - of 815 Naval Air Squadron - came across another suspicious dhow while carrying out a dusk patrol across the Indian Ocean. HMS Lancaster tracked the vessel through the night and struck at dawn.

After they closed in on the ship and carried out a search, sailors recovered 2.4 tonnes of hashish, bringing the total to 3.7 tonnes of illegal drugs seized over the two day period. Defence secretary Grant Shapps hailed the operation as a success in the fight against international drug trafficking.

He said: “The fantastic achievements of the crew of HMS Lancaster and Royal Marine Commandos in the Indian Ocean shows the important role our Navy plays policing the oceans. Their relentless effort and professionalism have dealt another decisive blow to criminal networks. Following HMS Trent’s similar success in seizing a substantial amount of drugs on the other side of the world, the Royal Navy continue to lead the UK’s commitment to disrupting drug smugglers across the globe.”

Portsmouth-based HMS Trent seized a huge £290m drug haul near the US Virgin Islands in March, and confiscated 200kg of narcotics from smugglers earlier this month.