Australian Navy seizes heroin and hashish worth $415 million in Arabian Sea

Australian Navy personnel have seized hashish and heroin worth about $415 million during an operation in the Arabian Sea.

Leading Seaman Naval Police Coxswain Jamie Janes numbers narcotic parcels seized by HMAS Warramunga.

Leading Seaman Naval Police Coxswain Jamie Janes numbers narcotic parcels seized by HMAS Warramunga. Source: Royal Australian Navy

Heroin and hashish worth $415 million has been seized by the Australian Navy in the Arabian Sea.

The Royal Australian Navy HMAS Warramunga seized almost eight tonnes of hashish and 69 kilograms of heroin from three ships between December 27 and 29, the Department of Defence says.

"The operation will impact on the flow of narcotics around the world and the use of drug money to fund extremist organisations," the Commander of Australian Forces in the Middle East, Major General John Frewen, said in a statement on Saturday.
The operation was months in the making, co-ordinated by the Combined Maritime Forces and supported by Australian and Canadian staff.

It's the largest haul of hashish seized by an Australian ship in Middle East maritime security operations.

The drugs are estimated to be worth around $415 million overall and are set to be disposed at sea.


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