Drugs worth more than 972 million US dollars (IDR 16,125,280,000,000) were confiscated from two dhow vessels in the Arabian Sea for two days, according to the US military, in what was thought to be the largest seizure ever recorded in the region.
The two ships were seized in operation by the Pakistan Navy Yarmook, which works to support the Saudi Arabia-led Joint Task Force 150 and operated by the Combined Maritime Forces, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
Two tonnes of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated selling value in the market of more than $822 million were confiscated from the first dhow ship on October 18, CENTCOM said, as reported by The National October 23.
Less than 48 hours later, the crew boarded the second dhow and confiscated 350 kg of crystal methamphetamine worth US$140 million and 50 kg of cocaine worth US$10 million. The drugs were taken to a naval vessel for testing and then destroyed, added CENTCOM.
Neither CENTCOM, Pakistan, nor Saudi Arabia have stated where the dhow ships came from or their destinations.
However, police in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, have reported massive seizures of methamphetamine and amphetamine in the past year.
"The success of this focused operation highlights the importance of multinational collaboration," said Joint Task Force Commander 150 Saudi Royal Navy Commodore Fahad Aljoiad.
"PNS Yarmook has carried out one of the most successful narcotics confiscations for (Joint Maritime Forces), which is directly linked to our naval expertise and collaboration in this organization," he continued.
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The mission of the Joint Task Force 150 is to prevent and thwart the ability of non-state actors to move weapons, drugs, and other banned substances in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Oman.
It is known, Combined Maritime Forces is a naval partnership consisting of 47 countries to improve security and stability in waters covering an area of 8.3 million square kilometers, covering some of the world's most important shipping lines.
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