Royal Navy achieves major drug busts in Indian Ocean

The Wildcat helicopter has been critical in recent drug interdictions by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines in the Indian Ocean. [Royal Navy]

The United States, United Kingdom and other members of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) remain dedicated to promoting maritime security and building regional capacity to combat non-state threats.

The Royal Navy's HMS Lancaster in April seized almost four tons of drugs worth over $41 million in two separate busts within 24 hours in the Indian Ocean.

During the first patrol by the Lancaster on its new assignment, its Wildcat helicopter spotted a suspicious vessel, prompting the deployment of Royal Marines to secure it.

British forces recovered almost 100 packages containing heroin, crystal meth and hashish.

A Royal Marine boarding team from the HMS Diamond prepares to seize $19 million worth of drugs from smugglers operating in the Indian Ocean in late May. [Royal Navy]

Royal Marines and Royal Navy teams display $19 million worth of drugs seized from smugglers operating in the Indian Ocean in late May. [Royal Navy]

The Wildcat spotted a second suspicious vessel later the same day.

The Lancaster tracked the second vessel throughout the night before deploying the Royal Marines at dawn, seizing 2.4 tons of hashish.

British forces have been vital to interdictions around the world.

In late May, the warship HMS Diamond seized over two tons of hashish in the Indian Ocean after a nine-hour operation by Royal Marines.

This came less than two weeks after the Royal Navy's HMS Trent seized $21.2 million worth of drugs, including 200kg of cocaine, in two separate raids in the Caribbean.

Global maritime security

The HMS Lancaster, a 4,900-ton frigate, has served in the Royal Navy's fleet since 1990 and operates within the international Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150).

CTF 150 is one of five CTFs operated by the CMF, a 44-nation maritime partnership established in 2002.

The CTFs foster international cooperation on a range of maritime security concerns such as fighting piracy, drug and arms smuggling and enhancing regional naval capacity.

CTF 150 oversees the area outside the Arabian Gulf -- the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman -- to ensure that legitimate commercial shipping can transit the region.

This area is a vital artery of world trade, with thousands of shipping movements per year including the transportation of more than 27 million barrels of oil.

Canada assumed rotating leadership of CTF 150 in January 2024 and will continue to lead until July.