Navy seizes £250m of cocaine

It is thought the cocaine was heading for Europe's streets

The British Royal Navy has seized cocaine worth £250m on a ship in the Caribbean.

The Portsmouth-based HMS Iron Duke - acting on a tip-off from British Customs - intercepted the vessel 400 miles south-west of St Lucia.

A Royal Navy team and the US Coastguard searched the Panamanian-registered merchant ship, Yalta, for 11 hours.

The crew of 17 men, from Lithuania, Estonia and Colombia, were arrested.

The 3.3 tonnes of the drug, with a street value of £250m, were believed to be destined for Europe.

Customs Minister and Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Healey said: "This is the second huge drugs haul for Customs and the Royal Navy in as many months.

New Customs tactics are helping to disrupt this evil trade and stop Class A drugs destined for the UK reaching our streets

John Healey
Customs Minister

"These drug traffickers operate across continents so Customs must also work internationally and with other countries to stop them.

"The money, organisation and planning behind these international drugs criminals cannot be over-estimated.

"New Customs tactics are helping to disrupt this evil trade and stop Class A drugs destined for the UK reaching our streets."

In May, Customs and HMS Cumberland found 3.5 tonnes of cocaine on a former torpedo boat in the mid-Atlantic.

Commander Phil Warwick, the commanding officer of HMS Iron Duke, said: "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."