MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
News Release (150/2008) issued by The Government News Network on 2
July 2008
Cocaine with a
minimum street value of £40 million has been seized by a Royal
Navy warship in the North Atlantic in a major drug bust operation.
In a joint operation with the US Coast Guard on Saturday (28
June), the frigate HMS Iron Duke intercepted an ocean-going
speedboat at 1712 BST (1212 local) some hundreds of miles
north-east of Barbados in a location which suggested the boat had
been en route to Europe or West Africa. The Serious Organised
Crime Agency, in association with the British-led Maritime
Analysis and Operation Centre in Lisbon, was involved in the
coordination of this successful interdiction together with other
law enforcement agencies worldwide.
The 50 foot long power boat - of a type commonly referred to as a
'go-fast' - was located by the ship's Lynx
helicopter and was instructed by the aircraft to stop. With such
a small vessel, so far out to sea and fitting the profile of a
'go-fast', suspicions were immediately raised.
Personnel of the United States Coast Guard detachment on board
the frigate subsequently boarded the vessel. It was during this
boarding that 45 bales of cocaine, weighing a total of 900kg, were
discovered, seized and transferred to HMS Iron Duke, and the
boat's crew of five men were detained. The boat itself
transpired to be in very poor condition and was actually sinking;
it sank later.
As the North Atlantic Patrol vessel, HMS Iron Duke's primary
role is to provide a UK presence in the region reassuring and
supporting UK Overseas Territories, Commonwealth countries and
other friendly nations. This includes being ready to provide
assistance in the event of a natural disaster. Iron Duke's
deployment lasts for the core hurricane season, from June to October.
Alongside that core role, the ship also has embarked a United
States Coast Guard team to conduct Counter Drugs operations.
Working alongside US colleagues, the Royal Navy is well placed to
assist in restricting the flow of cocaine out of Central America.
All of HMS Iron Duke's Ship's Company played their part
in this operation. From the seaboat crew who worked long hours in
heavy seas, to the drugs handling team who assisted the US Coast
Guard in bringing the cocaine bales on board, all were involved.
Commanding Officer Commander Mark Newland said: "This is a
fantastic start to HMS Iron Duke's North Atlantic Deployment.
To have had a direct impact on the flow of cocaine into Europe
just four days after we arrived in theatre shows the benefit the
Royal Navy can have in the area of maritime security and counter
drug operations. From the first moment the Lynx Helicopter
discovered the suspect vessel, my Ship's Company, working
hand in glove with our US Coast Guard colleagues, turned this
opportunity into a certainty and ultimately a successful seizure.
I am immensely proud of all their efforts."
Capable of operating anywhere in the world, Type 23 frigates are
the mainstay of the modern surface fleet. Originally designed for
the principal task of anti-submarine warfare, they have evolved
into powerful and versatile multi-purpose ships. The effectiveness
of these ships is enhanced by their stealth design, which reduces
their radar signature significantly. In addition to the
war-fighting roles described above, the ship is trained to conduct
a wide range of other tasks. These include embargo operations
using boarding teams inserted from the ship's boats or
helicopter, disaster relief work and surveillance operations.
Notes to editors:
* Pictures are available on the
Defencenewsimagery website at http://www.defencenewsimagery.mod.uk.