The largest illicit drug seizure in the Middle East this year by international naval forces was made by the US Navy on Tuesday, when it announced that it had intercepted $85 million worth of heroin from a fishing trawler.
The greatest illicit drug interception in the Middle East by international naval forces this year was made by a US Coast Guard quick reaction cutter on September 27 while patrolling the Gulf of Oman, according to a statement from the Navy.
The fishing boat was passing international seas when an estimated 2,410 kilos of heroin were found there.
The interdiction was carried out by the 34-member Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a naval unit. The Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Gulf, and Indian Ocean are all areas where these forces are active.
Current leadership of the CMF’s Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 is held by the Royal Navy of Saudi Arabia.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, head of US Naval Forces Central Command, US 5th Fleet, and CMF, stated that “this significant seizure indicates a strong commitment among our foreign partners to disrupting and deterring disruptive action in the region.”
I am proud of CMF, the Saudi-led CTF 150 team, and the Charles Moulthrope crew’s faultless efforts, he continued.
The CMF has been striving to halt the illicit traffic in drugs and weapons in the region, despite the US Navy’s lack of information on the ship’s destination or origin. Numerous intercepted shipments have been the fault of Iran or the organisations and militias it supports.
The US Navy openly acknowledged earlier this month that an Iranian cruiser had taken two US unmanned surface craft and held them in the Red Sea. This occurred two days after Iran attempted to take a similar vessel in the Gulf but was unsuccessful.
