DRUG BUSTERS NET $400M OF COCAINE

British naval ship HMS Iron Duke docked in Hamilton Harbour for some
well-deserved rest and relaxation yesterday after helping to seize
almost $400 million worth of cocaine in a drug swoop in the Caribbean.

The frigate was on a seven-month deployment of the Atlantic Ocean on a
three-fold operation to counter drugs, re-enforce UK interests and
offer disaster relief when it received intelligence from Customs and
Excise about an alleged drug shipment.

The helicopter on board Iron Duke located Panamanian-registered
merchant ship Yalta about 400 miles south west of St. Lucia, and the
following day the crew of the naval vessel, led by a team of US Coast
Guard permanently on board, closed in at speed.

The Iron Duke sat just 400 yards off the Yalta while a search team
went on board and began an 11-hour search of the cargo vessel, which
involved the Coast Guard using metal-cutting equipment to cut through
a hidden compartment where drugs were stashed.

Captain of HMS Iron Duke Commander Philip Warwick described the 3.5
tonne cocaine seizure in June as the highlight of the deployment and
said the crew would now be returning to the UK in the next couple of
weeks with a tangible success story to tell their relatives.

"That was the highlight because it went very well and because it was
the single largest haul - we were involved in the whole interdiction
from start to finish," he said.

"We had just sailed from Grenada, where we had been on a diplomacy
thing and then we picked up that there was intelligence on this
particular vessel.

"It was a merchant cargo vessel and we were led to believe it was
bound for Europe, with not a lot on board other than the drugs, it
seems."

The warship closed in before the search team swooped because they
wanted to make sure the crew of the cargo vessel did not try to ditch
the drugs overboard.

The US Coast Guard seized the drugs and diverted the ship to Florida,
where the US authorities are now handling the investigation. However,
for the 180 men on board HMS Iron Duke, they had played a huge part in
the success of the operation and had something to be proud of.

"A lot of what we do is more in terms of deterrent, but something like
this, that is really tangible and that they can phone home and talk to
people about, it gives the men something to really be proud of," added
Commander Warwick.

"Afterwards, morale on board the ship was superb and they were all on
top of the world. To my sailors, something like this, brings
everything else they do together.

"Without wanting to sound glib, I was proud, but I was glad that the
guys had achieved it."

The 17 members on the board the cargo vessel from Lithuania, Estonia
and Colombia were arrested and the case is now being dealt by the
American courts.

HM Customs Minister and Economic Secretary to the Treasury in the UK
John Healy said: "This is the second major successful drugs operation
by UK Customs and the Royal Navy working together in under two months
and must be congratulated.

"It is vital that we continue to work in partnership at home and
abroad to tackle drugs before they reach the UK and bring harm to our
communities.

"The money, organisation and planning behind a drugs trafficking
attempt like this cannot be over-estimated. New Customs and Navy
tactics with the continued use of intelligence will ensure we can
continue to threaten this evil trade."

This latest success follows the seizure by HM Customs and HMS
Cumberland in May of more than 3.5 tonnes of cocaine from a boat in
the mid-Atlantic.

HM Customs Director General for Law Enforcement Terry Byrne said: "A
sharper focus by Customs on partnerships and intelligence has led to
these excellent results.

"21st Century criminals work across international boundaries and now
Customs is becoming increasingly flexible, so that we, too, can be
anywhere at any time."

Commander Warwick added: "We are very proud of the part we have played
in this combined operation to halt such a significant quantity of drugs.

"Counter-drug operations are one of the Royal Navy's prime roles in
these waters. This seizure confirms the huge value of the continuing
involvement of British warships working in close co-operation with HM
Customs and Excise."

HMS Iron Duke will stay in Hamilton Harbour until Monday, when it will
resume its voyage back to the UK.