HMS Montrose seizes 1,045 kg of hashish in the Gulf of Oman
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose, working in direct support of Combined Task Force 150, recovered bales of hashish floating near a suspect dhow in the Gulf of Oman on 16 February 2020 and found a further hidden cache aboard, 1,045 kg in total worth about US$538,860 regionally.
Late on 15 February 2020 the frigate HMS Montrose, working in direct support of Combined Task Force 150 under Australian command, tasked her Wildcat helicopter after a suspicious dhow was seen in an area of the Gulf of Oman known for drug smuggling.[1][2]By sunrise on 16 February several packages could be seen floating near the dhow, and they were recovered and determined to be hashish.[1][2]
Royal Marine Commandos then boarded the dhow and secured it for search by a Royal Navy boarding team.[1][2]The dhow’s master admitted the packages in the water had come from his vessel, and a thorough search found a further cache of hashish hidden aboard.[1][2]
Together with the drugs recovered from the sea, the seizure totalled 1,045 kg of hashish, worth an estimated US$538,860 regionally or about 6 million pounds on British streets.[1][2]The task force commander said the crew had stopped the smuggler from ditching the cargo and kept the drugs from reaching their destination.[1][2]
Case data
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