SYDNEY: Australian and Pakistani navy ships have seized two tonnes of cannabis resin off the coast of Oman.
HMAS Melbourne and PNS Alamgir joined forces to intercept a ship east of Oman’s Masriah Island, where they found 1,951 kg of cannabis resin hidden in a secret compartment in its fishing hold.
Estimating the haul to have a street value of $ 102 million, HMAS Melbourne’s Commander Brian Schlegel said its seizure would help stop funds going to extremist groups that relied on illegal drug shipments for income.
“The 62 bags contained cannabis resin bricks, almost 4,000 bricks in total. Each brick is more than enough to buy an AK-47 or IED (improvised explosive device) components. Removing the funding that flows from the sale of these drugs has a direct impact on a terrorist organisation’s ability to buy weapons in the future,” said Schlegel.
The HMAS Melbourne is in the Indian Ocean on global anti-piracy operations and has intercepted nine suspected pirate vessels since leaving Australia in August 2013. During its mission, it has seized heroin and other drugs estimated to be worth in excess of $ 1 billion.
