Combined Maritime Forces, U.S. Coast Guard Make $21 Million Drug Seizure in the Gulf of Oman

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter crew seized about $21 million worth of illegal drugs from a stateless vessel while operating in the international waters of the Gulf of Oman, Nov. 14.

Coast Guardsmen from the Sentinel-class fast response cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145), working under the command of Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, seized 2,000 kilograms of hashish and 384 kilograms of methamphetamine from the vessel during an interdiction operation.

“This new seizure shows once again the operational effectiveness of Combined Maritime Forces assets and nations,” said French navy Capt. Yannick Bossu, CTF 150 commander. “It illustrates that nations from all around the world are committed to regional maritime security in the Indian Ocean alongside their regional partners.”

This event marks the fifth time in recent months the French-led CTF 150 has interdicted illicit narcotics at sea. In those previous operations, CTF ships seized more than 4,522 kilograms of methamphetamine, heroin, and hashish from stateless vessels during interdiction operations, with a street value of more than $94 million. CTF 150 is one of five task forces under Combined Maritime Forces, the largest multinational naval partnership in the world.

CTF 150 focuses on maritime security operations in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Since 2021, Combined Maritime Forces has seized more than $1 billion in illegal drugs while patrolling waters across the Middle East. The 38-nation naval partnership upholds the international rules-based order by promoting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.