Australian navy dumps record drugs at sea

16 Feb 2012, 2:13 pm   -   Source: AAP
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The Defence Department said the drugs were disposed of at sea by members of the boarding party. (AAP)

The Defence Department said the drugs were disposed of at sea by members of the boarding party. (AAP)

The boarding party of an Australian warship has dumped 260kg of narcotics into the ocean, after a drug bust in the Arabian Sea.

In one of the biggest-ever drug busts involving Australian defence personnel, more than a quarter of a tonne of drugs were dumped at sea before the smugglers were sent on their way.

The incident occurred last week when the frigate HMAS Parramatta intercepted a motorised dhow in the northern Arabian Sea.

The warship was operating as part of the multinational Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), which conducts counter-terrorism patrols and anti-narcotics smuggling operations.

A search of the dhow, conducted by a boarding party from HMAS Parramatta, revealed more than 260kg of amphetamine and heroin concealed in bags of flour and rice.

In an update on Thursday, the Defence Department said the drugs were disposed of at sea by members of the boarding party.

"HMAS Parramatta provided flour and rice to ensure the crew of the boarded vessel would be able to return to their home port safely," a defence spokesman said.

A similar stance is taken by navy personnel toward Somali pirates captured in the same region by Australian warships.

Their weapons are dumped overboard and the culprits are photographed for future reference.

They are then warned against repeating their conduct and sent on their way, often with Australian-supplied food, water and fuel, to ensure they can reach their home port.

The commander of CTF 150, Australian navy Commodore Jonathan Mead, said the operation followed many months of hard work, planning and international cooperation.

HMAS Parramatta commanding officer Commander Guy Blackburn said it was a significant event.

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Your Comments

???

Steve - from Melbourne, 3 months ago

Ok so why weren't these ppl arrested? If not by us or the closest nation? They're just going to go home restock and make another trip...

Confused.

Kev - from Noraville, 3 months ago

I'm just confused why it was dumped in the ocean, we put enough crap in it through sewerage run off, fuel and slowly degrading plastic. Couldn't the drugs have been disposed of some other way?

Please forgive a cynic

Jim - from Melbourne, 3 months ago

All those drugs 'dumped into the sea', lucky our defense force personnel never use drugs or else a cynic might say that being in the defense forces is the easiest way to get free drugs and smuggle them overseas. It's also refreshing to know that our tax dollars paid to ensure drug smugglers made it home safely and were well fed. I'm sure Shapel Corby and the Bali nine can see the funny side of this too.

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