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- HMS Trent intercepted the drugs during two operations in Caribbean region
- Operating in area since end of 2023, warship has seized drugs worth £307m
- British sailors, Royal Marines and US Coast Guard were all involved in seizures
A Royal Navy warship has dealt a devastating double blow to Caribbean drug cartels after seizing 200kg of cocaine and other narcotics worth nearly £17million during two separate operations.
HMS Trent, a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel, first intercepted a smuggling speedboat following a port visit to the island of Martinique.
British sailors, Royal Marines and a US Coast Guard team on board the warship were involved in the operation, which saw HMS Trent launch her fast sea boats, piloted by Royal Marines of 47 Commando.
They successfully stopped the speedboat, seized the drugs and detained the crew before darkness fell.
Less than 48 hours later, HMS Trent worked with a US Coast Guard patrol aircraft to track and intercept another speedboat.
Royal Navy warship HMS Trent has dealt a devastating blow to Caribbean drug cartels after seizing 200kg of cocaine and other narcotics worth nearly £17million during two operations
British sailors, Royal Marines and a US Coast Guard team on board the warship were involved in the operations, which saw HMS Trent seize drugs with a street value of £16.7million
The drugs seizure of cocaine and other narcotics has dealt a serious blow to Caribbean cartels
Across the two operations, HMS Trent seized 200kg of cocaine and other drugs, with an estimated street value of £16.7 million.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘These interceptions demonstrate the Royal Navy’s commitment to disrupt and dismantle the operations of drug traffickers across the world.
‘I congratulate the ship’s company for their invaluable efforts to keep illegal drugs off our streets.’
The latest operations mean HMS Trent has now seized drugs worth £307m since she began operating in the Caribbean at the end of 2023.
In February, she seized £220.56m of cocaine and other drugs, having seized £70.1m of cocaine in January.
HMS Trent continues to patrol in the Caribbean with the aim of maintaining maritime security and upholding international law in the region.
Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Langford, said: ‘The flexibility shown by my ship’s company to move straight from high-level defence engagement activity in Martinique straight into successful boarding operations is a testament to their dedication and professionalism.
‘The level of cooperation between the Royal Navy, US Coast Guard and other partners has been excellent, and has been key to making these seizures possible.’
HMS Trent swiftly intercepted several drug running boats following a port visit to Martinique
Following the seizure, the drugs were transferred onto HMS Trent and the haul overall totalled £16.7million in street value
This latest success for the Royal Navy comes off the back of a string of raids in recent months that have seen drug hauls worth millions of pounds being seized.
In June, HMS Lancaster seized more than £10m of drugs after Marines boarded two ships in the Indian ocean and Gulf.
The Type 23 frigate captured more than seven tons of hashish, heroin and methamphetamine across the operations, which were part of the ship’s security patrol of the region, where she is deployed on a long-term mission.
Meanwhile in September, HMS Dauntless busted a major drug smuggling operation, seizing 1.2 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated £140m during an operation in the Caribbean Sea.
The Portsmouth-based warship used its Wildcat helicopter to deploy a squad of Royal Marines and a US Coastguard team.
Dauntless was later involved in tracking a suspicious aircraft flying from Venezuela, which led to a further 550kg seizure.
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