US Coast Guard seizes heroin worth $85m from vessel off Oman

A boat carrying 2,410 kilograms of heroin was intercepted

A US Coast Guard ship seized an estimated $85 million worth of heroin from a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday. Photo by US Coast Guard

A US Coast Guard ship seized an estimated $85 million worth of heroin from a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, the US Naval Forces Central Command said.

Around 2,410 kilograms of heroin were seized as the fishing vessel transited international waters, the command said, in the largest drug interception in the Middle East East by international naval forces this year.

The haul was discovered during operations in support of the Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), one of four task forces under the Combined Maritime Forces, the world’s largest multinational naval partnership.

"This sizable seizure demonstrates a profound commitment among our international partners to disrupting and deterring destabilizing activity in the region," said vice admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, US 5th Fleet and the Combined Maritime Forces.

"I am proud of the flawless efforts by CMF, the Saudi-led CTF 150 team and the Charles Moulthrope crew."

Led by the Royal Saudi Navy, CTF 150 conducts maritime security operations in the Gulf of Oman and North Arabian Sea to help prevent the illegal trade of drugs and weapons and ensure the free flow of commerce.

In August, a US Coast Guard ship seized more than three tonnes of drugs worth an estimated $20 million from a small vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

In May, during a similar patrol, the US Coast Guard intercepted another fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman, seizing $11m worth of heroin in the process.