A British-led task force has seized more than six thousand kilos of cannabis resin from a dhow in the Indian Ocean with an estimated UK street value of around £18m. Source: MoD
Vigilance can report that A British-led task force has seized more than six thousand kilos of cannabis resin from a dhow in the Indian Ocean with an estimated UK street value of around £18m.
Australian ship HMAS Darwin made the bust under the UK-led Combined Task Force 150 following a 12-hour operation in which boarding teams found the drugs hidden in the hull.
Also known as hash or hashish the 6248kg haul, contained in 315 bags, is the largest found in the Indian Ocean to date.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Mark Francois said: “As the son of a naval veteran, I am proud of the work the Royal Navy does around the world combating the global trade in illicit narcotics. The hard work and determination of our personnel on these international operations have yielded valuable results with millions of pounds worth of drugs taken off our streets.”
Commander of CTF-150 Commodore Jeremy Blunden, said: “Yet again HMAS Darwin has delivered an outstanding result. My congratulations to Commander Morrison and his very fine ship’s company who have set new standards for professionalism and teamwork in counter narcotics activity in the Indian Ocean.”
This is the eighth seizure during HMAS Darwin’s current deployment to the Middle East as part of CTF-150. On 23 April the ship set a new record for the most heroin seized at sea when 1,032 kilograms was discovered on a dhow in international waters off the coast of East Africa.
And in figures provided by the National Crime Agency, the UK team in command of CTF-150 since April, have overseen the interception and destruction of drugs with an estimated UK street value of over £107m.
The Royal Navy conducts counter-narcotic operations across the globe – and in the US three drugs runners caught as part of HMS Argyll’s work in the Caribbean Sea last year have just been sentenced to a combined total of more than 40 years.
Arley Fernando Garces, 34, of Colombia was given 25 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and conspiracy to do the same. Co-defendants Santos Cerros-Maldonado was imprisoned for 12 years and 4 months while Gregorio Campo-Rodriguez received seven years and 3 months.
The three men were chased down by HMS Argyll and her on-board team of 10 personnel of the United States Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment while in the Caribbean Sea on August 19, 2013.
As the team approached the suspect vessel the men on board began to throw items over the side which included a kilogram of cocaine, electronics and their identification documents. US investigators later concluded that Garcia and his co-conspirators had been smuggling hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in a false bottom of their vessel.
Commander Tim Neild, who was the Commanding Officer of HMS Argyll during the bust, said: “This successful prosecution and the counter narcotics operation are testament to the capability and flexibility of a Royal Navy warship. It is hugely satisfying to know that these men, who were determined to smuggle cocaine across the Caribbean Sea, have been successfully prosecuted and will no longer be able to contribute to the illegal trade.”
The drug runners were intercepted on HMS Argyll’s first day on counter-narcotic operations in the Caribbean following over a fortnight in the Pacific. The Type 23 frigate had been on a range of operations in the seas around Africa, the Falkland Islands and the Eastern Pacific before she entered the Caribbean and embarked the LEDET team for Operation Martillo.
This is a 15-nation collaborative effort to deny trans-national criminal organisations air and maritime access to the littoral regions of Central America, and focus on putting a stop to the illegal movement of drugs from South America to the western world.
In another development, Army Technicians Inspire with Bloodhound Supersonic Car Education Outreach Project
Soldiers from the Army’s Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) have been taking part in a national project to inspire future generations of children and young adults into careers in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The education programme showcases the cutting edge technology behind the Bloodhound supersonic car.
The Army’s volunteer ambassador project was launched at Goodwood Festival of Speed on Thurs 26 Jun 14, which was attended by over 20 Bloodhound Educational Ambassadors. Three hundred children from schools around the UK were invited to take part in the Bloodhound Rocket challenge to design and build their own miniature rocket cars. The schoolchildren were then given the chance to launch their inventions down a specially prepared track at speeds of up to 120 mph.
Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne MP said: “The MOD is the largest employer of engineers in the country, so encouraging young people to study and enjoy STEM subjects is really important for the Armed Forces of the future. The Bloodhound Project allows our brightest and best engineers to inspire future generations to look at Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths careers in a new way.
“I am very proud of the work of Bloodhound STEM Ambassadors to deliver positive role models to schools across the UK.”
REME Reservist and Bloodhound Ambassador, Craftsman Liz Brown, from Derby, said:
“It’s great to be part of such an iconic British project and to be able to combine my Army skills with inspiring kids into engineering.
“I know that there is a real shortage of engineers in industry. Children learn by mixing theory with practice – the mini rocket car challenge is a great way to combine aerodynamics, forces and chemistry to create an exciting activity that gets kids fired up about STEM.”
Mr Philip Thomas, Design Technology Teacher from Bristol Grammar School, said: “The kids had a great day building rocket cars with the Bloodhound Project! The Army Ambassadors demonstrated a range of really tricky engineering concepts that we couldn’t do in the classroom.”
“The kids loved the fact the REME team had real engineering experience they could apply to the challenge – really inspiring!”
Across the country, Army volunteers have been visiting schools as part of the Bloodhound Project’s aim to deliver a lesson on the 1,000 mph supersonic car to every child in the country by 2018. One hundred REME personnel have trained as Bloodhound Educational Ambassadors to visit schools in conjunction with Bloodhound’s team of science communicators to inspire engagement with engineering and science.
Army technicians have been working alongside the Bloodhound education team helping deliver workshops and presentations to share their passion about engineering with some of the 40,000 children who will have the opportunity to be inspired by the supersonic project this year.
A National Foundation for Educational Research paper reported that the number of pupils interested in studying engineering in the future increases by more than 100% for those that have engaged with STEM Ambassadors. One of the schools visited by the team is the Pimlico Academy in London, that teaches children between the ages of 11 and 18.
Principal Mrs Sam Green said: “It was great to have Bloodhound Educational Ambassadors from the Army's Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers visit the Academy.
"The educational workshops run by the Bloodhound Project meant that the children had the opportunity to spend time with experienced, relevant technicians from the Army. Since the visit we have noticed a real increase in the uptake of science & Design Technology subjects across the school."