Fifth Gulf Drugs Bust For Portsmouth Warship HMS Dragon

22 February 2019, 15:30 | Updated: 22 February 2019, 15:35

A haul of heroin worth 9 million pounds has been seized in the Gulf by the Portsmouth warship HMS Dragon.

TheType 45 destroyer made the seizure as she returned to maritime security operations on a notorious drug smuggling route known as the 'Hash Highway.'

The Class-A drugs, which have been destroyed, would have had a street value of £9m. The sale of these drugs is a known source of funding for terrorist organisations and criminal networks.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has been in the Gulf region this week to sign a Joint Defence Agreement with Oman.

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 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 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 launched her sea boats and, following a search of the dhow by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines boarding team, the drugs were found hidden on board.

Boarding officer Lt Laurens Williams said: "While the weather conditions were much more conducive to the search activity, the team worked hard over long hours to ensure that any concealed narcotics were found.

"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."

Lt Sunderland added: "This seizure has once again highlighted the fantastic capability of the Wildcat aircraft and its ability to find, fix and identify suspected dhows at vast ranges, thus extending the search footprint of HMS Dragon as it continues on its maritime security mission with Combined Task Force150."