Photo: MOD

Sky News reports that HMS Medway, a Royal Navy River-class offshore patrol vessel, pursued a drug smuggler’s boat after it was spotted near the Dominican Republic, alongside a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment and accompanying aircraft.

Once it was stopped, officers boarded the boat and found several large packages of drugs weighing more than 400kg. Three crew members from the boat were detained.

The boat was then destroyed to prevent it from being used to transport any more drugs and also to provide practice for Medway‘s gunnery team.

Commander Chris Hollingworth of HMS Medway said: “Everyone involved demonstrated their professionalism during a challenging pursuit.

“It might be the first, but we’re going to make sure that it won’t be the last, and I speak on behalf of everyone here in saying this has galvanized our determination to succeed.

“Together with our partners on board Medway and up in the skies above us, we’re able to smash a hole in the supply chain and disrupt the movement of these harmful drugs before they have the chance to harm people at home and abroad,” Cdr Hollingworth said.

“I’m exceptionally proud of the collective effort of my ship’s company and our colleagues from the US Coast Guard for their proactive attitude and total commitment to the task.”

Thanks to Alaric Bond and David Rye for contributing to this post.