Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Trent seized cocaine with a street value of more than £40 million in the Caribbean Sea. This is HMS Trent’s sixth interception this year, bringing the total amount of drugs seized to £551.5 million. In response to this success, the Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard said: “This recent operation highlights the Royal Navy’s vital role in maintaining maritime security and upholding international law in the region. “We are sending a clear message to drug traffickers that nowhere is safe and we will disrupt and dismantle their operations wherever they are in the world.” In this latest operation on August 8 – her first since April, HMS Trent was alerted to a speed boat that was suspected to be smuggling cocaine around 120 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic. With a US Maritime Patrol Aircraft flying overhead, the Portsmouth-based warship closed in and dispatched the Royal Marines and US Coast Guard on board to intercept the vessel. The smugglers threw their cargo overboard during the operation, but thanks to HMS Trent’s swift response all contraband was seized. The 506kg of Class A narcotics seized, and three smugglers were handed over the United States authorities for prosecution. HMS Trent’s Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Langford, said: “This successful operation with our American partners demonstrates HMS Trent’s ability to support -trafficking operations in the Caribbean Sea.” “Every member of my team can be proud of another significant haul – the sixth this year.” These successful interceptions disrupt Transnational Criminal Organisations (TCO), and underscore the Royal Navy’s vital role in maintaining maritime security and upholding international law both at home and abroad. HMS Trent has now seized 6,995kg of drugs in 2024 as part of this multinational effort, working closely with the US Coast Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force (South). The ship 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. |
Royal Navy strikes a £550m blow to Caribbean cocaine trade
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