British Navy makes £58m drug bust in Caribbean

LONDON, Oct. 13, CMC – The British Royal Navy says a warship deployed in the Caribbean seized cannabis and cocaine with a street value of £58 million (US$92 million) in two busts just days apart.



On Saturday, the Royal Navy said in the most recent bust, the HMS Lancaster intercepted £55m (one pound = US$1.60) of cocaine and £3m of marijuana – one bust took place in the middle of a thunderstorm, while the second saw Lancaster’s Royal Marines “sniper shoot out the engine of a speedboat.”



The Navy said Lancaster’s “double whammy” is the fifth and sixth busts in a couple of months – bringing her tally to over £160m.



The cocaine seizure began when the frigate responded to a call from a Canadian tanker, which spotted a speedboat dashing across the Western Caribbean.



Tests confirmed the 400kg drugs were pure cocaine, worth about £17m – but cut several times over for sale on the streets, its value would be £55m.