A ROYAL Navy warship has seized nearly £17 million price of cocaine and different medicine in two main busts within the Caribbean.
Dramatic footage present British sailors, Royal Marines and a US Coast Guard workforce on HMS Trent intercepting smugglers on a speedboat instantly after a port go to to the island of Martinique.
Throughout two operations, HMS Trent seized a whopping 200kg of cocaine and different medicine with an estimated avenue worth of £16.7 million.
The warship launched quick sea boats to intercept the speedboat, seize the medicine and detain the crew earlier than darkness fell.
Lower than 48 hours later, HMS Trent labored with a US Coast Guard patrol plane to trace and intercept one other speedboat.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps mentioned the operations present the Navy’s dedication to “disrupt and dismantle” drug traffickers.
He mentioned: “These interceptions reveal the Royal Navy’s dedication to disrupt and dismantle the operations of drug traffickers the world over.
“I congratulate the ship’s firm for his or her invaluable efforts to maintain unlawful medicine off our streets.”
Commanding Officer Tim Langford added: “The flexibleness proven by my ship’s firm to maneuver straight from high-level defence engagement exercise in Martinique straight into profitable boarding operations is a testomony to their dedication and professionalism.
“The extent of co-operation between the Royal Navy, US Coast Guard and different companions has been wonderful, and has been key to creating these seizures attainable.”
HMS Trent has seized medicine price £307 million because it started working within the Caribbean on the finish of 2023.
In February, £221 million price of cocaine and different medicine was seized, along with £70 million in January.
The 2 separate raids noticed sailors and Marines on HMS Trent – assisted by the US Coast Guard – chase down a speedboat as its crew tried to dump almost three tons of Class A into the Caribbean Sea.
4 had been arrested and it took ten hours to search out and accumulate all of the medicine — price £220.56 million.
The Navy known as {that a} “high-octane chase below moonlight because the smugglers tried to dump their unlawful cargo”.
It continued: “Because the solar rose, Trent’s 60-strong crew scoured the ocean for the deserted cargo, finally retrieving 29 bales of cocaine weighing in at 876kg after an in depth ten-hour search throughout 24 sq. miles.”
Of the February bust, a marine mentioned: “This was a difficult operation and required us to push the boats to their restrict.
“Regardless of their greatest efforts to evade us, and with our boats and the ship bearing down on them at velocity, the 38ft go-fast lastly gave up the chase and we had been capable of get alongside and allow members of the US Coast Guard to grab the vessel.”
The officer answerable for the US Coast Guard workforce added: “It is without doubt one of the largest single seizures in current reminiscence.
“Having the ability to get better such a big cargo of contraband over a 24-mile search space is extraordinary and speaks to the extent of talent the crew of HMS Trent has demonstrated.”
HMS Trent
HMS Trent is a River-class offshore patrol vessel of the British Royal Navy.
It was constructed by BAE Programs at their shipyard in Govan, Glasgow, and was commissioned into service in August 2020.
The ship is designed for quite a lot of roles, together with maritime safety, counter-piracy, and anti-smuggling operations.
It has a size of roughly 295 toes and a displacement of round 2,000 tons.
HMS Trent is provided with a spread of sensors and weapons methods, making it a flexible asset for naval operations.