TORONTO – Crimebeat – The HMCS Toronto has made a major drug bust in the Arabian Sea area. The boarding party seized the drugs early Saturday morning.
This drug seizure marks HMCS Toronto’s seventh narcotics shipment disruption as part of ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the Indian Ocean.
The Sea King Helicopter crew of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Toronto stops a suspected smuggling dhow in the Arabian Sea region on October 05, 2013. HMCS Toronto is currently deployed on Operation Artemis, the Canadian Armed Forces participation in maritime security and counter-terrorism operations in the Arabian Sea. HMCS Toronto’s task is to detect, deter and protect against terrorist activity by patrolling and conducting maritime security operations in her area of responsibility. The Halifax-class frigate has a CH-124 Sea King helicopter air detachment as well as a shipboard unmanned aerial vehicle detachment. Photo Credit: Leading Seaman Dan Bard, Formation Imaging Services, Halifax, Nova Scotia
HMCS Toronto intercepted and boarded a suspected smuggling vessel approximately 500 nautical miles east of the Horn of Africa, and discovered 154 bags of heroin weighing more than 180 kilograms. The illicit narcotics were then catalogued and later destroyed, thus ensuring they would not reach their intended recipients.
“Canada remains steadfast in its involvement in the fight against terrorism with our maritime allies of Combined Maritime Task Force 150,” said the Hon. Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence. “The recent drug seizure made by the crew of HMCS Toronto demonstrates the skills and experience our country brings to the multinational effort.”
“I’m extremely proud of the work Toronto’s team, and all those on whom we rely for support, have done to achieve this success,” said the Commanding Officer of HMCS Toronto, Commander Matthew Bowen. “A positive outcome like this, seizing and disposing of illegal narcotics whose sale would have funded extremist groups, is a big win for Canada’s counter-terrorism efforts.”
To date, HMCS Toronto has recovered approximately 7.8 metric tonnes of narcotics. On March 29, 2013, a massive narcotics shipment in the Indian Ocean was disrupted, when the ship’s naval boarding team recovered approximately 500 kilograms of heroin, while another boarding action on May 30, 2013, recovered approximately 5950 kilograms of hashish.
HMCS Toronto is a Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class Frigate deployed with a crew of 258 members, including a CH-124 Sea King air detachment and Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle on board. Operation Artemis is Canada’s contribution towards maritime security and counter terrorism, under the command of the Combined Maritime Forces 150.
