British Royal Navy makes multimillion-dollar cocaine bust of ‘narco-sub’ in the Caribbean Sea
LONDON, United Kingdom (CMC) — The British Royal Navy on Thursday said its patrol ship HMS Trent seized £160 million (1GBP = US1.28) of cocaine from a “narco-sub” in the Caribbean Sea.
In eight drugs busts in seven months, the Portsmouth-based patrol ship has stopped nearly £750 million of narcotics from reaching the streets of the United Kingdom or anywhere else, the British Royal Navy said.
It said Trent’s latest operation, alongside the United States (US) Coast Guard and a US Maritime Patrol Aircraft, was the first “narco-sub” it has ever intercepted.
“The ship’s boarding team — comprising US Coast Guard (USCG) personnel, Royal Marines from 47 Commando and specialist sailors — clambered aboard the semi-submersed vessel in waters 190 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic,” the Royal Navy said. “The team seized 2,000 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of £160 million, striking yet another blow to the Caribbean drugs trade.”
HMS Trent’s Commanding Officer, Tim Langford, said: “It has been a busy yet rewarding eight months for Trent whilst deployed to the Caribbean, and this latest seizure reinforces the utility of Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessels in the delivery of this vital tasking.”
“My skilled team and our embarked USCG Law Enforcement Detachment fought challenging conditions to interdict this semi-submersible — rarely seen in the Caribbean — and were rewarded with another record haul,” he added. “These operations are a team effort, and require involvement from every single member of my crew irrespective of their usual role – they can be extremely proud of what they have achieved.”
The Royal Navy said this eighth drugs bust took place on August 26, just 72 hours after Trent’s last successful interdiction in which 462 kilograms of cocaine worth £37 million was seized.
About 90 nautical miles north of where they stopped the narco-sub, the Royal Navy said a high-speed night-time pursuit by Trent’s sea boats saw two suspects and 12 bales of drugs seized, ready to be handed over to US authorities.
The Royal Navy said HMS Trent continues to patrol the Caribbean as “a reassuring presence to British Overseas Territories during hurricane season (from June to November) and to stem the flow of illegal cargo through the region”.
The ship recently visited the British Virgin Islands, making repairs on Tortola after Tropical Storm Ernesto had passed through the region.
