Royal Navy's HMS Lancaster crew seizes 402kg of illegal narcotics in the Arabian Sea

HMS Lancaster's crew, working with the New Zealand-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 of Combined Maritime Forces, has seized 319kg of heroin and 83kg of methamphetamine from a vessel in the Arabian Sea.

The interdiction by the Royal Navy's Duke-class Type 23 frigate is the task force's second drug bust since New Zealand took command of the mission in January.

HMS Lancaster's uncrewed air systems identified suspicious activity, triggering the crew to launch their Wildcat helicopter.

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The aircrew positively identified the illegal activity, signalling the Lancaster search team to board the suspicious vessel.

After weighing and documenting the drugs, the crew then destroyed and disposed of the huge haul of narcotics.

Commander Sam Stephens, commanding officer of HMS Lancaster, said he was proud of the team effort that went into making this drug bust a success.

"I am really pleased that Lancaster has been able to demonstrate the utility of a tailored air group consisting of the Wildcat helicopter and recently procured uncrewed Peregrine air systems in a combined 24-hour deck cycle to achieve persistent surveillance and beat illicit drug runners in the region," Cdr Stephens said.

New Zealand Commander Rodger Ward, commander of CTF 150, said he was proud to be working with partners on shared goals.

"It's pleasing to have another drug bust under our belt. The interdiction shows the utility of the Combined Maritime Forces construct… working together for collective maritime security.

"It is great that we can share this success with our Commonwealth partners from the UK," he said.

CTF 150 is one of five task forces under the Combined Maritime Forces, the world's largest international naval partnership.

Its mission is to deter and disrupt the ability of non-state actors to move weapons, drugs and other illicit substances in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.

Combined Maritime Forces is a 46-nation naval partnership, headquartered in Bahrain, that is responsible for upholding the international rules-based order across 3.2 million sq miles of water, encompassing some of the world's busiest shipping lanes.