CMF-assigned cutter seizes hashish and methamphetamines in North Arabian Sea
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter patrolling under the command of Combined Task Force 150 of the Combined Maritime Forces seized hashish and methamphetamines with a total estimated street value of $24.3 million Dec. 28 in the North Arabian Sea.
It was the third seizure by a CMF-assigned cutter in four days, following seizures by USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147) and USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146) of hashish, heroin, methamphetamines and pills with a total estimated street value of $24.5 million Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 in the Gulf of Oman.
A team from USCGC Robert Goldman (WPC 1142), a Sentinel-class cutter, boarded a dhow at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time Dec. 28 after it displayed indicators consistent with illicit drug trafficking.
Aboard, the team discovered over 300 bags of drugs containing 3,514 kilograms of hashish and 417 kilograms of methamphetamines.
The Robert Goldman team released the dhow and disposed of the illicit drugs.
The mission of Combined Task Force 150 is to disrupt the ability of non-state actors to move weapons or drugs, or engage in other illicit activities, in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
This interdiction marked the twelfth time Combined Task Force 150 assets have seized illegal narcotics at sea since France took command in July 2023.
Combined Maritime Forces is a multinational maritime partnership committed to disrupting criminal and terrorist activities by restricting their freedom of maneuver across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
Since 2021, units assigned to the Combined Maritime Forces have seized more than $1 billion in illegal drugs while patrolling waters across the Middle East.
