More than $972 million worth of drugs were seized from two dhows in the Arabian Sea over two days, the US military has said, in what is thought to be the largest bust on record in the region.
The two vessels were boarded in operations by the Pakistan Navy ship Yarmook, working in support of the Saudi-led Combined Task Force 150 operated by the Combined Maritime Forces, the US Central Command (Centcom) said.
Two tonnes of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $822 million were seized from the first dhow on October 18, Centcom said.
Less than 48 hours later, the crew boarded a second dhow and seized 350kg of crystal methamphetamine worth $140 million and 50kg of cocaine worth $10 million. The drugs were taken to the navy ship for testing and subsequently disposed of, Centcom added.
Neither Centcom, Pakistan, nor Saudi Arabia has stated where the dhows originated from or were headed.
But police forces in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE have reported massive seizures of crystal meth and amphetamines in the past year.
“The success of this focused operation highlights the importance of the multinational collaboration,” said Royal Saudi Naval Forces Commodore Fahad Aljoiad, commander of Combined Task Force 150.
“PNS Yarmook has had one of the most successful narcotics seizures for [Combined Maritime Forces], which is directly attributed to the expertise and collaboration of our naval forces within the organisation.”
Combined Task Force 150’s 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 47-nation naval partnership to promote security and stability across 8.3 million square kilometres of water, encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
