The Royal Navy seizes nearly £17m in Caribbean Sea intercepting smugglers in speedboats

by Mick the Ram

Drugs with an estimated street value of £16.7 million have been seized in the Caribbean in a joint operation involving British sailors, Royal Marines, and a team from the US Coast Guard.

Two separate interceptions were made within 48 hours, both launched from HMS Trent, a Batch 2 river-class offshore patrol vessel.

In the first, fast sea boats tracked a smuggling speedboat, following a port visit to the island of Martinique; then working with a patrol aircraft, they stopped another speedboat and over 200kg of cocaine was recovered and the crew detained.

HMS Trent began operating in the Caribbean at the end of 2023 and has seized drugs with a value of over £300m.

Initial support mission

The ship left its home port of Gibraltar in early December 2023, bound for Guyana. They were essentially on a mission to show both military and diplomatic support to the ex British colony.

Its presence helped calm matters with nearby Venezuela who had renewed its claim for a disputed part of Guyanese territory, which is rich in oil and minerals.

Multi functioning ship in the region

Since then HMS Trent has continued to patrol in the Caribbean with the aim of maintaining maritime security and upholding international law in the region.

It is mainly used for tackling piracy and smuggling, protecting fisheries, counterterrorism, providing humanitarian aid, defence diplomacy, and search and rescue operations.

Defence secretary sends congratulations

The speed and efficiency of these operations drew praise from many quarters. UK Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps said it demonstrated the Navy’s commitment to “disrupt and dismantle” the drug traffickers all around the world.

He added: “I congratulate the ship’s company for their invaluable efforts to keep illegal drugs off our streets.”

“Dedication and professionalism”

Commanding Officer Tim Langford was pleased with the level of flexibility shown by his ship’s company. It had seen them move straight from what was described as a high-level defence engagement activity in Martinique, and then go straight into hugely successful boarding operations. He said it was a “testament to their dedication and professionalism.”

He also remarked that the co-operation between the Royal Navy and other partners had been excellent, and was the key behind making the seizures possible.

Added to growing list of successes

This latest success follows a string of raids that have seen drug hauls worth several hundred millions of pounds being seized.