Pakistan Navy foils drug smuggling bid, seizes ice worth $130m in Arabian Sea

• PNS Tabuk intercepts stateless dhow in Arabian Sea.
• Pakistan Navy seizes over 2,000kg of methamphetamine.
• Operation conducted in support of Saudi-led CTF-150.
  

The Pakistan Navy has successfully conducted a major counter-narcotics operation in the Arabian Sea, seizing narcotics worth $130 million.

Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Tabuk intercepted a suspicious stateless dhow in the Arabian Sea, resulting in the seizure of over 2,000 kilogrammes of methamphetamine (ICE), a statement issued by the Pakistan Navy Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) stated on Wednesday.

The counter-narcotics operation was part of the Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP) and in support of Saudi-led Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), it added.

“The current apprehension of narcotics by PNS TABUK is the third consecutive successful interdiction conducted in the last [two] months by PN ships,” the statement said.

Last month, PNS Yarmook conducted two counter-narcotics operations in the Arabian Sea, seizing drugs worth around $1 billion from sailboats.

The CMF, in a statement, stated that the crew of the PNS Yarmook seized several tons of ICE and a smaller amount of cocaine during the operations.

Royal Saudi Naval Forces Commodore Fahad Aljoiad, commander of the CMF taskforce carrying out the operation, at the time termed it as “one of the most successful narcotics seizures for CMF.”

The United States Central Command also hailed the operations by the Pakistan Navy, which it said disrupted the smuggling of drugs and weapons.

The CMF is a 47-nation naval partnership, including the US, which upholds the international rules-based order across 3.2 million square miles of water.

Meanwhile, the DGPR Navy spokesperson said that the counter-narcotics operations demonstrated the navy’s “enduring resolve and unwavering commitment against illicit trafficking at sea”.

“The scale of the operation, coupled with its flawless execution, underscores not only Pakistan Navy’s professionalism but also the effectiveness of multinational coordination under CMF”.

Pakistan remained committed to protecting national maritime interests, the navy spokesperson said, adding that the navy would uphold the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and contribute to global maritime security.