British Royal Navy seizes $15 million worth of drugs in Arabian Sea
February 18, 2021, 10:45 am

British Royal Navy seizes $15 million worth of drugs in Arabian Sea

Royal Marines and sailors stand around the confiscated 2.4 tons of drugs. (File photo: UK MoD Crown)

The British Royal Marines intercepted over 2.6 tons of illicit drugs in the Northern Arabian Sea after boarding a suspect boat during a counter-narcotics patrol, in a statement from the UK Ministry of Defense published Wednesday. They were part of a Combined Maritime Forces (CMS) Task Force operating in the Middle East, and were supported by the Royal Navy Warship, HMS Montrose.

In an operation lasting over 10 hours, 2.4 tons of heroin, crystal methamphetamine and hashish were seized. This came just two days after a separate bust in which HMS Montrose seized 275kg of heroin from another suspect boat in the area. The combined haul of almost three tons of drugs has an estimated wholesale value of £11 million.

HMS Montrose is part of the CMF, a multi-national force of 33 nations currently led by the Royal Canadian Navy, working in the Gulf region to disrupt criminal and terrorist organizations and their illicit activity. Coalition Task Force 150, as part of the CMF, operates to disrupt the activity of criminal organizations, in particular narcotics and weapons smuggling.

HMS Montrose last made a drugs bust in October 2020 when sailors and marines seized 450 kilograms of methamphetamine, with a wholesale value of £18 million, which was the largest ever seizure of methamphetamines by the Royal Navy in the Gulf.

source: Peter Donnelly

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
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