2,540
WARSHIP HMS Dragon, which is single-handedly helping to cripple the drug smuggling trade in the Middle East, has scored a record eighth haul – this time the vessel seized an enormous 2,540kg of hash from a boat in the Arabian Sea.
A ROYAL Navy warship from Portsmouth, that is single-handedly helping to cripple the drug smuggling trade in the Middle East, has scored a record eighth haul.
HMS Dragon seized an enormous 2,540kg haul of hash stashed by smugglers in a fishing vessel in the Arabian Sea on Sunday.
The mega bust came just two days after the £1bn destroyer clinched the record for the highest number of successful riads and the total weight of drugs seized by a Royal Navy ship in the Middle East. Since leaving Portsmouth in September Dragon has racked up 17,786kg of hash, 455kg of heroin, and 9kg of crystal meth – totalling more than £145m.
Defence secretary Gavin Williamson was full of praise for the Portsmouth ship and her 280-strong crew.
He said: ‘The work of HMS Dragon and her crew in combating this evil trade over the last few weeks has been outstanding and they fully deserve their place in the record books.
‘While we celebrate this success, we recognise there still more criminals out there who are spreading harmful drugs around the world and funding terrorist organisations.’
Flying a routine dawn mission, the crew of the ship’s Wildcat helicopter spotted a suspicious-looking boat from the air. Dragon, who was beginning her journey back to the UK, immediately altered course to intercept the vessel.