HMS Dragon breaks record with seventh drug bust

The Royal Navy’s HMS Dragon has just carried out its seventh drug bust in the Middle East, bringing its total deployment haul to £145 million (US$192 million).

The Type 45 destroyer now holds the record both for the number of successful drug busts and the total weight of narcotics seized by a Royal Navy ship in the Middle East.

The latest seizure took place on Thursday, March 14, when the ship apprehended a group of smugglers transporting 224 kilograms of heroin.

Dragon was beginning its transit home to the UK on that date when the crew spotted a suspicious-looking fishing vessel while passing through the Arabian Sea for the final time.

From the ship’s Wildcat helicopter, a Royal Marine sniper kept a close eye on the suspect craft as two fast boats launched in darkness towards the vessel and boarded it.

After a brief search, a haul of heroin worth £56 million (US$74 million) was found.