Pakistan Navy seizes record amount of narcotics worth nearly $1bn in Arabian Sea

The Pakistan Navy seized a record amount of narcotics worth more than $972 million in the Arabian Sea, the US Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) said.

The CMF said in a statement on Tuesday that the operation was carried out by Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Yarmook, which was part of the Saudi-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150’s Focused Operation AL MASMAK.

“Over a 48-hour period, PNS Yarmook conducted boarding operations of two dhows; neither vessels were transmitting on Automatic Identification System (AIS) or displaying any external markings, both were subsequently identified as having no nationality,” it said.

On Oct. 18, the crew boarded the first dhow and seized more than two tons of crystal methamphetamine (ICE) with an estimated street value of $822.4 million. Less than two days later, they intercepted another dhow carrying 350 kg of ICE worth $140 million and 50 kg of cocaine worth $10 million, according to the statement.

The seized narcotics were tested and later disposed of, it said.

“The success of this focused operation highlights the importance of the multinational collaboration,” said Royal Saudi Naval Forces Commodore Fahad Aljoiad, commander of CTF 150.

“PNS Yarmook has had one of the most successful narcotics seizures for CMF, which is directly attributed to the expertise and collaboration of our naval forces within the organization,” he added.

Launched on Oct. 16, Operation AL MASMAK involved coordinated participation from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, and the US.

The Combined Maritime Forces, comprising 47 partner nations, works to uphold the international rules-based maritime order, ensuring stability and security across 3.2 million square miles of vital sea lanes.

Source: Anadolu Agency

--Agencies