US Fifth Fleet warships seize drugs worth BD73 million and 8,700 illicit weapons last year

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

US and international forces operating under US Naval Forces Central Command, US Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) have seized record amounts of illicit cargo during maritime interdictions in 2021, the US Central Command reported.

Led by Vice Adm Brad Cooper, the maritime organisations conducted more seizures in 2021 after increasing patrols in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, a report by the command highlighted.

CMF seized illegal drugs worth more than BD73 million ($193 million) at regional wholesale prices during counter-narcotics operations at sea in 2021, it added. According to the report, this is a higher total value than the drugs CMF interdicted in the previous four years combined.

CMF is the world’s largest multinational naval partnership, which includes 34 nations.

It is headquartered in the Kingdom with US Naval Forces Central Command and US Fifth Fleet.

 In another alarming revelation, the US Fifth Fleet warships seized approximately 8,700 illicit weapons in 2021, including 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles confiscated from a stateless fishing vessel in the North Arabian Sea.

The stateless vessel was assessed to have originated in Iran and transited international waters along a route historically used to traffic weapons unlawfully to the Houthis in Yemen, the report said.

“The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Houthis violates UN Security Council Resolutions and US sanctions.”

Guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) seized dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles, thousands of Chinese Type 56 assault rifles, and hundreds of PKM machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers from a stateless vessel transiting the North Arabian Sea in May, the report said.

“In February, the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) seized a cache of weapons off the coast of Somalia, including thousands of AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns, heavy sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and crew-served weapons.

The inventory also included barrels, stocks, optical scopes and weapon systems.”

Since mid-July, the US and international maritime forces under CMF have conducted more than 50 boardings of vessels suspected of smuggling illicit cargo in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, resulting in 14 narcotics seizures and the Dec 20 weapons seizure, it added.