Pakistan Navy ship seizes drugs worth nearly $1bn in Arabian Sea

Defence affairs - Def-Geopolitics

Pakistan Navy ship Yarmook seized narcotics worth more than $972 million from sailboats in the Arabian Sea, according to a statement issued on Wednesday from the naval network overseeing the operation.

The Combined Maritime Force (CMF), a naval partnership that includes the United States, said the Pakistani naval vessel intercepted two different dhow sailing boats within 48 hours last week. It was working in “direct support of Saudi-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150” of the CMF during focused operation Al Masmak, which began on October 16.

“The crew boarded the first dhow and seized over two tons of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $822,400,000 [on] October 18. Less than 48 hours later, the crew boarded a second dhow and seized 350 kilogrammes of [crystal meth] worth $140,000,000 and 50kg of cocaine worth $10,000,000,” the CMF statement said.

The narcotics were transported back to the ship for testing to confirm the contents and subsequently disposed of, the statement added.

The intercepted vessels were “identified as having no nationality”, it said without indicating where they had originated.

It was “one of the most successful narcotics seizures for CMF,” Royal Saudi Naval Forces Commodore Fahad Aljoiad, commander of the CMF taskforce carrying out the operation, was quoted as saying.

“The success of this focused operation highlights the importance of the multi-national collaboration,” he further stated.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Navy said in a statement that the achievement highlighted its “unwavering commitment to regional maritime security, global peace, and the collective fight against illicit trafficking at sea”.

It further said that the successful operation reaffirmed Pakistan’s “active role as a responsible maritime partner contributing to peace and security in the wider Indian Ocean region”.

The statement further said that Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf commended the crew for their professionalism and dedication.

“He emphasised that Pakistan Navy remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard national maritime interests while contributing to the global commons through cooperation and coordinated maritime security efforts,” it quoted him as syaing.

“The naval chief underscored that PNS Yarmook’s operation under Saudi-led task force will further enhance the interoperability between the two navies and strengthen defence collaboration between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,” it added.

President Asif Ali Zardari said that the achievement reflected “national pride, professional excellence, and Pakistan Navy’s unwavering commitment to regional peace and maritime security”.

The US Central Command in a post on X congratulated the CMF, which includes 47 countries’ navies and patrols more than three million square miles of sea, including some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, to disrupt the smuggling of drugs and weapons.