totalgenius

Click here for the video of the firefight.

The Royal Navy says it has seized its biggest haul of cocaine, estimating its street value at £240m ($380m).

The Portsmouth-based frigate HMS Iron Duke seized more than five-and-a-half tonnes of the drug from a 138ft fishing boat off the coast of South America.

The Royal Navy and US Coastguard jointly intercepted the boat after it was spotted by a navy helicopter crew.

Armed forces minister Bill Rammell praised the operation for "damaging the trade in this vile substance".

He said cocaine "only serves to poison our communities".

Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell praised the team.

The 212 bales of cocaine, weighing about 26kg each, were seized in an area known for trafficking.

Cdr Andrew Stacey said the ship's crew was "delighted".

He said: "This was our third successful drug bust in as many months but this surpasses anything we've had and anything the navy had previously.

"It is the largest drugs bust by value, and by volume, in terms of cocaine. It is a massive blow for the narcotics industry."



Anti-narcotics success

Cdr Stacey said the crew, along with an armed helicopter and inflatable boats, had intercepted the boat, MV Cristal, on 15 September and spent 24 hours searching it before the drugs were found hidden beneath the ship's regular stores.

A concrete floor had to be broken up with sledge hammers and metal panels had to be unbolted before the stash was discovered and removed, he said.

The drug smugglers' boat was later sunk by gunfire.

Cdr Stacey said several drug runners of different nationalities had been arrested but no more details could be revealed.

Another British ship, RFA Fort George, was also involved in the joint operation between the Royal Navy and the US Coastguard.

HMS Iron Duke's primary task, while on a six-month deployment, is to reassure and assist the people of the UK Overseas Territories during the hurricane season.

The warship, which was launched in 1991 and cost £140m to build, is also on stand-by to take part in anti-narcotics operations.

The latest seizure is the third major counter-narcotics success for HMS Iron Duke off South America in recent months.

In raids in July and August, the warship was involved in two operations which seized cocaine with an estimated street value totalling £39m.

Prince William served on HMS Iron Duke in July 2008, during which the crew seized more than £40m of cocaine in the Caribbean.





BBC NEWS | UK | Navy seizes cocaine 'worth £240m'

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janobi

There goes my celebrity party this weekend then.....

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Firemouth

thats two each for every cop in the country. well, it means we wont have to burn it! think if the environment.

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wilson1980

we read this in the paper and i wonder whos gettin shot over losin this amount..someones down at the end off the day..but mad as to how much was caught this time..good bonus for the guys who caught it i think

fireblade2

wow thats alot of cocaine








just have a little faith

Firemouth

yep, defiantly not to be sniffed at. sorry guys, it had to be done


oops should have read two LINES

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madeinbeats

They should have micky finned it with cyanide and let them on their way, wipe out a few thousand bag heads from the gene pool...

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Firemouth

but who would run our Banks then? still a good idea

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wonko

surely thats piracy - stopping a boat/ship on the open sea and removing it's cargo without the owners consent? probably at gun point and rifle but as well - definateely sounds more like it than downloading an mp3 or 70 anyway.........

another few hundred of them and thats the budget deficit paid..........

janobi

Wrong drug mate. That would be heroin.

And if they stopped that amount, think how much is actually getting through. Bet that boat was a tip off from the smugglers, to get the bigger shipment through.

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