Navy busts ‘narco sub’ filled with $200M of cocaine

The Royal Navy has intercepted its first-ever "narco sub" - filled with £160m ($208M) worth of cocaine.

HMS Trent seized the vessel in the Caribbean Sea.

In eight drugs busts in seven months, the Portsmouth-based patrol ship has stopped nearly £750m ($979M) of narcotics reaching the streets of the UK in eight months.

Trent’s latest operation, alongside the US Coast Guard and a US Maritime Patrol Aircraft, was the first "narco-sub" the Royal Navy has ever intercepted.

The ship’s boarding team – comprising US Coast Guard personnel, Royal Marines from 47 Commando and specialist sailors – clambered aboard the semi-submersed vessel in waters 190 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic.

The team seized 2,000kg of cocaine with a street value of £160m, striking yet another blow to the Caribbean drugs trade.

HMS Trent’s Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Langford, said: “It has been a busy yet rewarding eight months for Trent whilst deployed to the Caribbean, and this latest seizure reinforces the utility of the Royal Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessels in the delivery of this vital tasking.

“My skilled team and our embarked USCG Law Enforcement Detachment fought challenging conditions to interdict this semi-submersible – rarely seen in the Caribbean – and were rewarded with another record haul.

“These operations are a team effort, and require involvement from every single member of my crew irrespective of their usual role – they can be extremely proud of what they have achieved.”

This eighth drugs bust took place on August 26, just 72 hours after Trent’s last successful interdiction in which 462kg of cocaine worth £37m ($48M) was seized.

About 90 nautical miles north of where they stopped the narco-sub, a high-speed night-time pursuit by Trent’s sea boats saw two suspects and 12 bales of drugs seized, ready to be handed over to US authorities.

Having seized 9,459kg of drugs – worth nearly £750m ($979M) – Trent surpasses HMS Argyll as the best hunter of smugglers in the Royal Navy this century, smashing the frigate’s £620m ($809M) running total (including busts in the Caribbean during patrols in 2014).

These successful interceptions disrupt Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO), and underscore the Royal Navy’s vital role in maintaining maritime security and upholding international law both at home and abroad.

This role is more important than ever with the flow of drugs to Europe and the UK, where an estimated 117 tonnes is consumed per year, grows significantly.

HMS Trent 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.

Aboard the ship are around 50 specialists in disaster relief operations, including Crisis Response Troop from 24 Commando Royal Engineers.

As well as carrying equipment to make repairs to damaged infrastructure and life-saving medical supplies, the ship has a drone system, called the Puma, which provides vital reconnaissance and surveillance and is operated by 700X Naval Air Squadron.

The ship recently visited the British Virgin Islands, making repairs on Tortola after Tropical Storm Ernesto had passed through the region.

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