Royal Navy sailors from Portsmouth’s HMS Dragon seize 2,000kg of hashish in Middle East drug bust

HMS Dragon deals another blow to the drugs trade

A Wildcat helicopter from the Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer had tracked the dhow in the Indian Ocean at night before a strike team of sailors and Royal Marines raided the boat.

Crew from the two fast boats that intercepted the fishing vessel quizzed the master and crew before searching it and uncovering 101 bags of hashish – sold to fund terrorism.

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Lieutenant Jonathan Bennett, the officer in charge of the Royal Navy boarding team, said: ‘After HMS Dragon tracked the dhow overnight, the boarding teams worked hard to search for the narcotics and were able to seize 101 bags of hashish.

‘The efforts of the boarding team in difficult conditions allowed the process to be quick and efficient, and we’re thrilled HMS Dragon scored her sixth drugs bust of the deployment.’

All of the drugs were destroyed before the warship returned to patrol.

Defence secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘The outstanding work of HMS Dragon’s crew continues to be a credit to Britain and its Armed Forces.

‘These significant seizures stop cash flow to terrorists, hurt criminal gangs who fund them and hinder the supply of harmful drugs to streets around the world, including Britain.’