New Zealand-led Task Force Continues To Disrupt Illegal Narcotics Smugglers In The Middle East

The New Zealand-led Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) has made another successful drug bust off the coast of Oman. 

This latest seizure included 50kg of heroin and 210kg of methamphetamine worth an estimated NZ$87.8 million, bringing the combined total of seized illicit narcotics to an estimated NZ$480 million, since New Zealand took command of CTF 150 in January this year.

After observing some suspicious activity by a trading dhow 400 nautical miles southeast of the Oman coast, crew of the United States Coast Guard Cutter Emlen Tunnell boarded the vessel and discovered 260kg of narcotics on board. The narcotics were seized and then destroyed.

Royal New Zealand Navy Captain Dave Barr, acting Commander of CTF 150, said this bust was a testament to the expert seamanship of the USCGC Emlen Tunnell, operating in challenging waters.

“The waters in this area are full of legitimate fishing and trading vessels so it’s important to get this part right and accurately identify those vessels that are likely to be carrying narcotics. A big part of our mission is to deter smugglers, so that those legitimate operators can continue to navigate freely to carry out their business.

“Together with the professionalism of the multinational CTF 150 team and their ability to integrate and work with the many other nations that make up the Combined Maritime Forces here in Bahrain, this work strives to accurately identify vessels of interest, take action to interdict, and ultimately remove these killer substances from the illicit global narcotics market.

“It may seem like the amounts of drugs we’re intercepting are only a drop in the pond. But so far we’ve removed almost half a billion New Zealand dollars-worth of product from doing harm. Will there be more smuggled? Of course there will. We can’t stop it all, but in a nod to our key partners from India, as Mahatma Ghandi is famous for saying, - you may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results. So we’ll keep trying, and we’ll stop what we can.”

CTF 150 is one of five operational task forces under the Combined Maritime Forces based in Bahrain and is focussed on maritime security in the Middle East Region in particular the disruption of drug smuggling operations.

Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha will join CTF 150 this week. During their deployment the ship and crew will be conducting similar patrols and carrying out boarding operations in direct support to CTF 150 as a part of New Zealand’s commitment to collective security efforts in the Middle East region.

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