HMS Lancaster seizes more than £10m of drugs in Indian Ocean and Gulf busts

Royal Navy warship HMS Lancaster has seized more than £10m of narcotics, and helped a merchant vessel which was being harassed, as it patrolled the Indian Ocean and Gulf.

The Type 23 frigate captured more than seven tonnes of hashish, heroin and methamphetamine in two operations as it carried out security patrols on a long-term deployment to the region.

In its first call, on a dawn mission, the ship tracked down a suspect vessel and its specialist Royal Marines boarding team found 3.5 tonnes of narcotics.

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After the first bust, samples were taken and the drugs, worth a British wholesale value of £5.5m, were destroyed.

There were signs the vessel had begun its voyage from Iran's coast, before bringing the drugs on board from another vessel at sea, the Royal Navy said.

HMS Lancaster's personnel completed the double haul when its Wildcat helicopter spotted another craft that evening, with the boarding team seizing a further 3.7 tonnes of drugs.

Three hundred and seventy-six bags were recovered, with a UK wholesale value of just over £4m.

The Type 23 frigate has now prevented 10.4 tonnes of illegal drugs from reaching the streets this year, the Navy said.

Lancaster seized hashish with a street value of £2.5m last month.

Commander Tom Johnson, the vessel's Commanding Officer, said: "I am immensely proud of my entire team for their efforts in successfully executing two boardings, in challenging conditions, and inside of 12 hours.

"This comes less than a day after concluding an intense period of maritime security operations in the Straits of Hormuz.

"It was a real team success; bringing together the efforts of my team with those of a vast range of international support organisations who have all worked tirelessly to achieve this result."

Deputy UK Maritime Component Commander in Bahrain, Captain Will Paston, added: "The technical expertise, tactical proficiency, steadfast professionalism, and investigative thoroughness were evident throughout the entire boarding process.

"These seizures were a direct result of the countless hours of dedication by HMS Lancaster and the wider supporting team in Bahrain."

HMS Lancaster also worked with the US Navy to watch over a merchant vessel that had reported harassment from a number of small vessels. Lancaster's Wildcat helicopter was sent up to assess the situation and the small craft departed.