Royal Navy: "Huge win" for HMS Lancaster as powerful frigate pounces on drug smugglers and seizes £30m haul

Portsmouth-assigned frigate HMS Lancaster struck a dhow by sea and air in the Arabian Sea - confiscating one and a half tonnes of substances worth £30m. Lieutenant Commander Dean Taylor, the ship’s Principal Warfare Officer, said the bust was deserved reward for “hard work and enterprise” by his shipmates whose diligence and persistence in tracking the small dhow round-the-clock for a day.

He said: “This team effort provided the best platform for our Royal Marine and Royal Navy Boarding Teams to do what they do best - securing and searching a vessel resulting in a great find and huge win for HMS Lancaster. We’ve taken another step towards the overall aim to stop illegal narcotic smuggling.”

After secretly shadowing the suspect through the Arabian Sea for more than 24 hours, the Duke-class frigate brought the drug smugglers dhow to a halt. Under the watchful gaze of a Royal Marines sniper circling overhead in the frigate’s Wildcat helicopter, the boarding team of 42 Commando closed on the vessel in a pincer movement.

Once aboard, the team discovered 80 packages containing illicit narcotics. This included 1,000kg of heroin, 660kg of hashish, and 6kg of amphetamine. This was tested aboard HMS Lancaster before being disposed of. It’s the second bust in three months for the British warship - currently operating out of Bahrain - where 319kg of heroin and 83kg of methamphetamine was confiscated.

Commanding Officer Commander Chris Chew attributes the success to the motivation, commitment, and dedication of the 210 men and women, which has proven fruitful once more. He added: “This is another example of where Lancaster has delivered at range, in isolation, utilising her own organic assets.”

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. CO Chew said: “Whether they come in the form of her Wildcat, our un-crewed 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.”

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Armed forces minister Luke Pollard praised the personnel. He 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.”

Marine Engineering Technician Peter Black, normally found looking after the frigate’s machinery, steered the dhow while its crew were detained. “The boarding was a fantastic success with an estimated £30 million street value worth of drugs seized and stopped from hitting the streets,” he said.

“I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to be a part of the Royal Navy Boarding Team, it’s a change of pace driving a dhow compared to my usual day of engineering. I look forward to many more successful boardings in the future.”

HMS Lancaster works alongside Combined Task Force 150, which is operated by the Combined Maritime Forces to maintain security in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. Its Commander, Commodore Rodger Ward RNZN, said interdiction operations such as this were a true team effort, requiring tight coordination, “from the men and women here in the headquarters in Bahrain reaching through to those out on the oceans disrupting drug smuggling operations at the coal face.”

He added: “I’d like to acknowledge the 210-strong ship’s company from HMS Lancaster for continuing to get amongst it day-after-day. Everyone in the team can be proud of their efforts to disrupt the criminal and terrorist organisations that continue to use illicit narcotics to fund their activities. This is a significant blow to their revenue stream. This successful interdiction is tantamount to the tenacity, training and professionalism from our Royal Navy partners.”