Royal Navy commandos have stormed their first ‘narco sub’, seizing two-tonnes of cocaine worth a staggering £160m.
Royal Marines based on patrol ship HMS Trent made the historic bust during a patrol in the Caribbean.
The secret underwater submarine is used by drug cartels to ferry huge quantities for narcotics around the world.
Powered by twin electric engines, the stealthy boats can glide undetected under the waves, carrying up to six-tonnes of drugs.
A boarding team made up of Royal Marines from 47 Commando, specialist sailors and US Coast Guard personnel, clambered aboard the vessel in waters 190 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic.
The crack team of operators seized 2,000kg of cocaine with a street value of £160m, striking yet another huge blow to the Caribbean drugs trade. It is one of the largest seizures by British personnel of recent years.
The bust is the eighth carried out by Portsmouth-based HMS Trent, which has stropped £750m of drug reaching Britain in just seven months.
HMS Trent’s Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Langford, said: ‘It has been a busy yet rewarding eight months for Trent whilst deployed to the Caribbean, and this latest seizure reinforces the utility of Royal Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessels in the delivery of this vital tasking.
‘My skilled team and our embarked USCG Law Enforcement Detachment fought challenging conditions to interdict this semi-submersible – rarely seen in the Caribbean – and were rewarded with another record haul.
‘These operations are a team effort, and require involvement from every single member of my crew irrespective of their usual role – they can be extremely proud of what they have achieved.’
This eighth drugs bust took place on August 26, just 72 hours after Trent’s last successful raid in which 462kg of cocaine worth £37m was seized.
About 90 nautical miles north of where they stopped the narco-sub, a high-speed night-time pursuit by Trent’s sea boats saw two suspects and 12 bales of drugs seized, ready to be handed over to US authorities.
Having seized 9,459kg of narcotics – worth nearly £750m – Trent surpasses HMS Argyll as the best hunter of smugglers in the Royal Navy this century, smashing the frigate’s £620m running total.
These successful interceptions disrupt Transnational Criminal Organisations (TCO), and underscore the Royal Navy’s vital role in maintaining maritime security and upholding international law both at home and abroad.
This role is more important than ever with the flow of drugs to Europe and the UK, where an estimated 117 tonnes is consumed per year, grows significantly.
HMS Trent is now continuing with its patrol of the Caribbean.
As well as hunting down drug gangs. Trent can also provide humanitarian aid during the hurricane season.
Aboard the ship are around 50 specialists in disaster relief operations, including Crisis Response Troop from 24 Commando Royal Engineers.
As well as carrying equipment to make repairs to damaged infrastructure and life-saving medical supplies, the ship has a drone system, called the Puma, which provides vital reconnaissance and surveillance.
The ship recently visited the British Virgin Islands, making repairs on Tortola after Tropical Storm Ernesto had passed through the region.
Last night, Armed Forces minister Luke Pollard said: ‘We are sending a clear message to drug traffickers that nowhere is safe and we will disrupt and dismantle their operations wherever they are in the world.’