Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Yamama (274), working in direct support of Saudi-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), seized over USD $120 million worth of illicit narcotics from a vessel in the Arabian Sea, Sept. 28.
PNS Yamama seized 155kg of methamphetamine and 65kg of cocaine during a routine patrol. Yamama detected a dhow of interest, requested permission from CTF 150 to conduct a flag-verification boarding, determined the dhow to be without nationality, and conducted a non-destructive search of the vessel locating the narcotics.
The packages were transported back to the ship for testing to confirm the contents and subsequently disposed of.
“The recent seizure with PNS YAMAMA highlights the expertise and local operational knowledge of our partner navies that is key to achieving success,” said Royal Saudi Naval Forces Commodore Fahad Aljoaid, commander of CTF 150.
CTF 150 is one of five task forces under CMF, the world’s largest international naval partnership. CTF 150’s mission is to deter and disrupt the ability of non-state actors to move weapons, drugs and other illicit substances in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.
Combined Maritime Forces is a 47-nation naval partnership upholding the international rules-based order by promoting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.