On 23 September 2018, the French frigate FS Floréal, operating under Combined Task Force 150, boarded a fishing dhow behaving suspiciously in the Indian Ocean and found 3,900 kg of hashish, which was confiscated and later destroyed.[1][2] A few hours later the ship’s helicopter detected a second suspicious dhow, and a flag-verification boarding with the ship’s sniffer dog Max turned up another 3,500 kg of hashish, also seized and destroyed.[1][2]

Operation

The two boardings struck within 24 hours, on 23 and 24 September, for a total of more than seven tonnes of hashish.[1][2] Combined Maritime Forces valued the haul at $3.5 million at street values in Yemen, which it named as the expected destination.[1][2] Lieutenant Commander Carrard, the ship’s commanding officer, called the seizures a follow-on to the continuous efforts of ships from many nations operating within CTF150.[1] The command said the seizure was its most significant in the Indian Ocean since the Royal Saudi Naval Force took command of CTF150 in August, and that its warships had seized and destroyed more than 1,500 kg of heroin and over 40,000 kg of hashish in the previous twelve months.[1][2]