Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon makes fifth drugs bust in the Middle East taking total toll to terrorist coffers to £109m

HMS Dragon’s latest seizure saw the Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer crew bagging 49kg of heroin, worth £9m.

She had been on patrol on the notorious drug smuggling route known as the ‘Hash Highway’ when they spotted a suspicious vessel and boarded it, uncovering the stash of Class A narcotics.

Top brass said the bust had dealt a big blow to terror groups, that would have used the cash from street sales to fund their operations.

Defence secretary Gavin Williamson, who has been in the Gulf this week to sign an historic joint defence agreement with Oman, praised the warship for its stunning running of form.

He said: ‘Heroin destroys lives but, thanks to the tireless work of HMS Dragon’s crew, these criminals will not be distributing this poison and will instead face justice.

‘These drugs would have had a wide distribution network across the globe, highlighting exactly why we are committed to the region – because Gulf security is our security.’

The bust is the latest in a string of stunning busts by Dragon which started in November when the ship seized 3,048kg of hash worth an estimated £22.86m.

Then, just weeks later, the warship seized 9kg of crystal meth worth £1.6m, followed rapidly by two other busts which saw Dragon take a total of 10 tonnes of hashish worth a whopping £75m.

The latest raid began with an early-morning sortie for Dragon’s Wildcat helicopter, looking out for suspicious vessels likely to be involved in the narcotics trade.

Pilot Lieutenant Scott Sunderland, from 815 Naval Air Squadron, said: ‘We spotted a contact at range using our radar and, on closing, the flight observer was able to use the electro-optical device on the aircraft to provide high-quality images of the suspect dhow.’

Dragon immediately launched her sea boats and, following a search of the dhow by the Royal Navy and 42 Commando Royal Marines boarding team, the drugs were found hidden in the vessel.

Boarding officer Lt Lauren Williams said the team had to be on top form as they trawled the ship, hunting for hidden narcotics.

She added: ‘The inventiveness of the drug runners necessitates a detailed search to ensure that we do not miss any potential hiding places.

‘My team have gained significant experience and skills over the last four seizures and the success today is a reward for the hours of training that have been invested by all in ensuring that these operations are conducted successfully.’

HMS Dragon will continue supporting the efforts of CTF-150 over her operational deployment to the region seeking to significantly disrupt the flow of illicit narcotics.

She is due back in Portsmouth later this year.