Blow dealt to Caribbean cocaine trade as HMS Trent seizes over £40m of drugs
Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Trent has seized cocaine worth more than £40 million in the Caribbean Sea.
The British vessel was alerted to a speed boat suspected to be carrying smuggled cocaine around 120 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic.
This is HMS Trent's sixth interception this year, bringing the total amount of drugs seized to £551.5 million.
Following the alert, the Portsmouth-based warship moved in, dispatching Royal Marines and US Coast Guard onboard to intercept the boat.
A US maritime patrol aircraft flew overhead in support.
All of the 506kg of Class A narcotics were seized, despite the smugglers' efforts to throw the cargo into the ocean.
Three smugglers were handed over to the United States authorities for prosecution.
In response to this success, the Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard said: "This recent operation highlights the Royal Navy's vital role in maintaining maritime security and upholding international law in the region.
"We are sending a clear message to drug traffickers that nowhere is safe and we will disrupt and dismantle their operations wherever they are in the world."
HMS Trent's Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Langford, praised his crew, saying: "Every member of my team can be proud of another significant haul".
He added: "This successful operation with our American partners demonstrates HMS Trent's ability to support -trafficking operations in the Caribbean Sea."
HMS Trent has now seized 6,995kg of drugs in 2024 as part of this multinational effort, working closely with the US Coast Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force (South).
The ship will continue to patrol the Caribbean as a "reassuring presence to British Overseas Territories" during hurricane season (from June to November) and to continue to stem the flow of illegal cargo through the region.
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