Royal Navy warship seizes £30m of drugs in Middle East

A Royal Navy frigate has seized drugs worth £30 million after stalking the drug-runner’s boat for more than 24 hours in the Arabian Sea after the illegal operations were spotted by the warship’s drones.

HMS Lancaster deployed its Wildcat helicopter to oversee the operation involving a boarding team from 42 Commando which seized 80 packages of narcotics.

A Royal Navy spokesman said the haul was made up of 1,000kg of heroin, 660kg of hashish, and 6kg of amphetamine, worth an estimated £30 million on UK streets.

He said: “It’s the second bust in three months for the British warship, which is based in Bahrain and is attached to a New Zealand-led international task spread across the Indian Ocean hunting down illegal activity.

“And it’s the second time the Royal Navy’s new Peregrine drones – mini-helicopters which conduct reconnaissance sorties for hours on end and feed live information back to Lancaster’s operations room – have played a vital part in the success.”

Lancaster’s commanding officer, Commander Chris Chew, said: “This is another example of where Lancaster has delivered at range, in isolation, utilising her own organic assets.

“Whether they come in the form of her Wildcat, our uncrewed air system Peregrine, embarked intelligence team or her Royal Marine boarding team, they delivered on operations in support of the Combined Maritime Forces and New Zealand-led Combined Task Force 150.”

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said: “I congratulate the crew of HMS Lancaster on this significant seizure, which is keeping dangerous and illegal drugs off our streets.

“This operation highlights the unique role our Royal Navy contributes, working to disrupt criminal operations around the world, keeping us secure at home and strong abroad.”

Published: 30/05/2025 by Radio NewsHub