https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... drugs-bust
A Royal Navy warship seized £60m worth of drugs and forced traffickers to scuttle their speedboat in a double-blow to Caribbean drug-runners.
Portsmouth-based destroyer HMS Dauntless took her tally to more than £200m worth of illegal narcotics intercepted after hunting down a 35ft power boat.
During a routine counter-narcotics patrol of the Caribbean Sea, Dauntless launched her Wildcat helicopter and Royal Marines sniper team to close in on the suspect craft.
When smugglers began to jettison their illegal cargo, their engines were taken out with precision by the commando snipers, bringing the boat to a juddering halt.
That allowed a U.S. Coast Guard team to be dispatched from Dauntless and 11 large bales of cocaine weighing 330kg to be seized.
Dauntless deployed to the Caribbean in May to work with British Overseas Territories during the region’s hurricane season, but also to join the international fight against drugs smuggling.
In this role, Dauntless works closely with U.S. authorities – embarking a U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team known as a law enforcement detachment who are deployed with the authority to board and search suspect vessels.
Along with the ship’s powerful array of sensors and radars, Dauntless has a Wildcat helicopter and Royal Marines sniper team from 42 Commando who provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and aerial support during complex and often dangerous boarding operations.
