Pakistani navy ship seizes drugs worth nearly US$1bil in Arabian Sea

Pakistani navy ship seizes drugs worth nearly US$1bil in Arabian Sea

The crew seized several tonnes of crystal methamphetamine and a smaller amount of cocaine worth more than US$972 million.

The Pakistani navy ship intercepted two different dhow sailing boats carrying narcotics within 48 hours. (EPA Images pic)
DUBAI:
A Pakistani navy ship seized narcotics worth more than US$972 million from sailboats in the Arabian Sea, according to a statement Tuesday from the naval network overseeing the operation.

The Combined Maritime Force (CMF), a naval partnership that includes the US, said the Pakistani naval vessel last week intercepted two different dhow sailing boats within 48 hours.

The crew seized several tonnes of crystal methamphetamine and a smaller amount of cocaine, the CMF statement said.

The intercepted vessels were “identified as having no nationality”, it said without indicating where they had originated.

It was “one of the most successful narcotics seizures for CMF,” said Royal Saudi Naval Forces Commodore Fahad Aljoiad, commander of the CMF taskforce carrying out the operation.

The US Central Command in a post on X congratulated the CMF, which includes 47 countries’ navies and patrols more than 3 million square miles of sea including some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes to disrupt the smuggling of drugs and weapons.

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