HMAS Warramunga seizes another Arabian Sea drugs haul

Image: Leading Seaman Imagery Specialist Tom Gibson HMAS/Twitter
Image: Leading Seaman Imagery Specialist Tom Gibson HMAS/Twitter – Warramunga’s Able Seaman Stephanie Pannell and Leading Seaman James Walker with the latest drugs haul.

HMAS Warramunga continues its operational success with a third Middle East drug seizure within a fortnight.

Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga seized 111kg of heroin valued at AU$33 million (US$26.4 million) during operations in the Arabian Sea on January 7.

This is the third successful interdiction for Warramunga in the past fortnight, taking the ship’s total seizures to more than 11.5 tonnes of hashish and 180kg of heroin and a total value of AU$629 million.

The operation was carried out under the direction of the Combined Maritime Forces’ (CMF’s) Australian-led Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), after the suspect vessel was assessed to be engaged in possible illegal activity.

After being transferred to Warramunga, the narcotics were disposed of at sea.

The CMF is a coalition of 32 nations that conducts maritime security operations to ensure the free flow of legitimate commerce in the Middle East Region and to deny the use of the high seas to terrorist and illicit non-state actors.


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