Commandos hunt down drug runners in the Caribbean
In just 7 days Sailors, Royal Marines and the US Coast Guard hunted down and stopped three separate drug trafficking vessels
A Royal Navy task group in the Caribbean landed a triple blow to drugs traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, stopping the infamous ‘white-gold’ from ever reaching Britain’s streets.
Sailors, Royal Marines and the US Coast Guard team onboard support ship RFA Argus hauled 11 bales of cocaine weighing 358 kilogrammes in the first of three busts in seven days.
In just under 24 hours, patrol ship HMS Medway and her US Coast Guard team followed that up by catching traffickers in two interceptions, which saw 650 kilogrammes of cocaine seized, never to reach the streets.
According to figures calculated by the National Crime Agency, the combined street value of the cocaine is to worth roughly £81m.
“The Royal Navy and the US Coast Guard have prevented a significant quantity of drugs crossing the Caribbean that could have been destined for the streets of the UK.” — Lieutenant Commander Jim Blythe, Commanding Officer of HMS Medway
The first blow to the drugs runners came after an American maritime patrol aircraft spotted a suspicious vessel riding low in the water, which was reported to Argus. Her crew immediately changed course to investigate what soon turned out to be carrying 11 bales of cocaine weighing 358 kilogrammes.
The large support vessel used the cover of rain and darkness to stay out of sight and avoid raising suspicion, meanwhile, her boarding team of Royal Marines of 47 Commando and the US Coast Guard prepared to strike.
On approaching the target craft, the Royal Marines were spotted and the suspect vessel’s crew started to throw their illegal cargo overboard, at this point the boarding team turned on the blue lights and went loud.
“Some patches of heavy rain had hidden Argus from sight in the distance and we were closing in unseen. When we were one mile off they saw us and started to run for it. We gave chase.” — Boat Group Commander from 47 Commando’s 539 Raiding Squadron
The crew of the intercepted vessel were brought back to RFA Argus along with their seized cargo before being transferred to US Coast Guard cutter Spencer.
“We could see people on board throwing packages into the sea. This is important evidence, so we had to stop and collect one. The rest were picked up later. We then continued the chase and managed to catch the vessel.” — Boat Group Commander from 47 Commando’s 539 Raiding Squadron
The small vessel would no longer be transiting any goods anywhere as soldiers from 24 Commando Royal Engineers later sunk it.
A few days later, offshore patrol ship HMS Medway acted on reports of a suspicious go-fast, diverting course and launching sea boats piloted by Royal Navy sailors with a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment aboard.
A go-fast boat is small and fast designed with a long narrow platform, which is the preferred boat for drugs smugglers.
16 bales of cocaine and three detainees were captured in this boarding, which saw Medway catch up with the suspect craft from 45 miles out.
Only a day later more information was fed to Medway and she gave chase to another craft, landing a further nine bales and three more detainees. The detainees and the seized drugs have now been handed over to US authorities allowing Medway to resume patrols of the region.
RFA Argus and Medway are deployed to the Caribbean as part of a Royal Navy task group.
- Naval forces prepare for the Caribbean’s hurricane season
- RFA Argus heads to support the Caribbean
- British Forces in the Caribbean: Supporting our Overseas Territories
They are in the region to support island communities during hurricane season, but also to carry out maritime security and counter-narcotics operations in collaboration with the UK National Crime Agency in the fight against Serious Organised Crime.
The UK also works in partnership with allied nations in the region as part of the Joint Interagency Task Force South, which detects and monitors activity to support security operations from their base in Florida.
