Royal Navy Leads Force To Seize Drugs In the Gulf And Indian Ocean

The Royal Navy has led international efforts to seize drugs worth 400 million pounds during a five-month deployment to combat smuggling in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

HMS Monmouth was part of a multi-national naval task force which has seized nearly two tonnes of narcotics.  

It included 265kg of heroin and nearly 500kg of hashish worth £65m.

Since April, British, French, US and Australian warships in Combined Task Force 150 (CTF150) took part in Operation Southern Surge to counter narcotics trafficking, which funds terrorism in the region, scoring eight drugs busts.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

"The success of this joint task force with our French allies is a demonstration of Britain’s firm commitment to global maritime security and our ability to work with European allies to tackle the threat from drug smuggling. The money made from these nefarious criminal activities fund the terrorists who threaten us at home and abroad. As we leave the EU we will continue to work alongside our allies to tackle smuggling in the region and maintain the free flow of shipping."

The Franco-British team has been directing operations since April after taking over from the Canadian Navy and has just passed on command to the Pakistan Navy.

Navies from the Combined Maritime Forces, a coalition of 31 nations, take it in turns to lead the task force either from a command ship or the headquarters in Bahrain.

The Combined Task Force joint command is the latest in a series of shared commitments undertaken by the UK and France, demonstrating the enduring closeness of the two nations’ defence relationship.

Earlier this year, around 60 Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel joined a French naval deployment to the Indian Ocean and the Far East, while British and French forces routinely operate together as allies in the Global Coalition and NATO.

This year, France is also contributing to the ongoing UK-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence deployment to Estonia.