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Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines join up with international task forces to ensure illicit practices are curtailed. Two main regions are monitored regularly, the Middle East and the Caribbean Sea.
River-class offshore patrol vessels are stationed to support British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. Personnel help the nations deal with humanitarian work during hurricane season and train local coastguard sailors. Their main task though it to deal with drug smugglers ferrying narcotics across the world, enlisting the help of the US Coast Guard.
The last ship to be station there was HMS Trent, with HMS Medway now relieving her. Commanding Officer Commander Tim Langford previously said: “The Royal Navy’s River-class patrol vessels have proved eminently suited to a wide range of tasking across the Caribbean and HMS Trent has delivered real challenge to narcotics smuggling in the region.
“The truly exceptional output delivered by my team over the past few months will be seamlessly maintained as we pass the baton to HMS Medway for the delivery of UK support to our overseas territories and regional partners.”
HMS Lancaster has provided a consistent presence in the Middle East as part of Operation Kipion. Often tasked with patrolling the region alongside other naval forces, the Type 23 frigate can be tasked with tackling drug smugglers when they appear on her radar.
After a recent bust, Lieutenant Commander Dean Taylor, the ship’s Principal Warfare Officer, said Royal navy and Royal marine boarding teams do what they do best by scoping out smuggling ships and pouncing on them. “We’ve taken another step towards the overall aim to stop illegal narcotic smuggling,” he added.
Here are a selection of the biggest Royal Navy drug busts in recent months, with millions of pounds worth of narcotics being seized.
1. HMS Lancaster - May 2025 - £30m
HMS Lancaster seized £30m worth of narcotics during a major drugs bust in the Arabian Sea in May of this year. Pictured: Royal Marines of 42 Commando boarding the suspect vessel, pouncing on a dhow which had 80 packages of narcotics on board. | Royal Navy
2. HMS Lancaster - May 2025 - £30m
The HMS Lancaster May drugs bust included 1,000kg of heroin, 660kg of hashish, and 6kg of amphetamine - all of which had an estimated street value of £30m. | Royal Navy
3. HMS Lancaster - March 2025 - £5.4m
HMS Lancaster, a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate, seized a huge stash of heroin and methamphetamine in the Arabian Sea near Bahrain in March. Peregrine remote controlled mini-helicopters spotted the suspicious activity, with the crew then fishing illicit packages out of the water. | Royal Navy
4. HMS Lancaster - March 2025 - £5.4m
Pictured is the huge stash of 340kg of heroin and 83kg of methamphetamine, valued at £5.4m. | Royal Navy