Pakistan Navy seizes Rs273bn narcotics in Arabian Sea

DUBAI/KARACHI: A Pakistani Navy ship seized narcotics worth more than $972 million (Rs273 billion) from sailboats in the Arabian Sea, according to a statement issued on Tuesday from the naval network overseeing the operation.

The Combined Maritime Force (CMF), a naval partnership that includes the United States, said the Pakistani naval vessel last week intercepted two different dhow sailing boats within 48 hours.

The crew seized several tons of crystal methamphetamine and a smaller amount of cocaine, the CMF statement said.

The intercepted vessels were “identified as having no nationality”, it said without indicating where they had originated.

It was “one of the most successful narcotics seizures for CMF,” said Royal Saudi Naval Forces Commodore Fahad Aljoiad, commander of the CMF taskforce carrying out the operation.

The US Central Command in a post on X congratulated the CMF, which includes 47 countries’ navies and patrols more than three million square miles of sea, including some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, to disrupt the smuggling of drugs and weapons. The PNS Yarmook, as per the US Centcom, conducted boarding operations of two dhows; neither vessels were transmitting on Automatic Identification System (AIS) or displaying any external markings, both were subsequently identified as having no nationality.

“The crew boarded the first dhow and seized over two tons of crystal methamphetamine (ICE) with an estimated street value of $822,400,000, October 18. Less than 48 hours later, the crew boarded a second dhow and seized 350 kg of ICE worth $140,000,000, and 50 kg of cocaine worth $10,000,000,” the US military added, noting that the narcotics were transported back to the ship for testing to confirm the contents and subsequently disposed of.

It is pertinent to know that the CMF 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.

Meanwhile, focused Operation Al Masmak began on October 16 and has successfully demonstrated a coordinated multinational approach to enhancing regional security and maritime safety, with Saudi Arabia coordinating with Pakistan, French, Spanish and US naval assets.

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.

Meanwhile, reacting to the development, the Pakistan Navy’s Director General Public Relations (DGPR), in a statement, said: “This remarkable achievement highlights PN’s unwavering commitment to regional maritime security, global peace and the collective fight against illicit trafficking at sea.

“The successful operation by PNS Yarmook reaffirms Pakistan’s active role as a responsible maritime partner contributing to peace and security in the wider Indian Ocean Region.” The navy’s spokesperson also said that Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf commended the crew of PNS Yarmook for their professionalism and dedication and reiterated that the PN “remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard national maritime interests while contributing to the global commons through cooperation and coordinated maritime security efforts”.