HMS Defender seizes 2,500 kg of hashish in the Indian Ocean
The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender, operating in support of Combined Task Force 150, boarded a suspect dhow in the Indian Ocean and found 2,500 kg of hashish in 119 bags hidden throughout the vessel, announced on 4 February 2020.
The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender, operating in support of the multinational Combined Task Force 150, launched her Wildcat helicopter to search for illegitimate marine traffic in the Indian Ocean before identifying a suspicious dhow.[1][2]A boarding team of Royal Marine Commandos secured the dhow, and a Royal Navy team then searched it for illicit cargo.[1]
The boarding party discovered 2,500 kg of hashish in 119 bags hidden throughout the dhow.[1][2]The Royal Navy said the haul was worth at least 10 million pounds, while The Maritime Executive put its value at US$1.3 million.[1][2]The commanding officer said the seizure reinforced the Royal Navy’s commitment to disrupting drug smugglers and terrorists at sea, and the armed forces minister said the drugs would never reach the street.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
The Royal Navy valued the haul at at least 10 million pounds while The Maritime Executive gave US$1.3 million; the reports appear to use different market bases and neither states its basis beyond the headline figure.
The exact boarding position in the Indian Ocean was not given, so the pin is a broad regional reference rather than the vessel's position.
The opened sources do not say whether the dhow's crew were detained or charged.
No event photo with a recoverable direct address could be verified to show this interception, so none is listed.
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