By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: In one of the largest drug seizures in recent maritime history, a Pakistani naval vessel intercepted two stateless sailboats in the Arabian Sea last week, confiscating narcotics valued at more than $972 million, according to a multinational naval coalition that oversaw the operation.
The Pakistan Navy ship Yarmook, operating under the auspices of the Combined Maritime Forces, boarded the vessels during a focused antipiracy and counternarcotics campaign known as Operation Al Masmak, which began on Oct. 16. The effort was conducted in direct support of the Saudi-led Combined Task Force 150, part of the broader coalition that includes the United States and patrols some of the world’s most vital shipping lanes.
The crew boarded the first dhow on Oct. 18 and seized over two tons of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $822,400,000, the Combined Maritime Forces said in a statement issued on Wednesday. Less than 48 hours later, the crew boarded a second dhow and seized 350 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth $140,000,000 and 50 kilograms of cocaine worth $10,000,000.The narcotics were transported back to the ship for testing to confirm the contents and subsequently disposed of, the statement said.
The intercepted vessels were identified as having no nationality, though the statement did not indicate where they had originated. Royal Saudi Naval Forces Commodore Fahad Aljoiad, commander of the task force carrying out the operation, described it as “one of the most successful narcotics seizures for CMF.” “The success of this focused operation highlights the importance of the multi-national collaboration,” he said.
The Combined Maritime Forces, a 47-nation partnership that covers more than three million square miles of international waters, including some of the busiest shipping routes, works to disrupt the smuggling of drugs and weapons. The United States Central Command congratulated the coalition in a post on X.
In a separate statement, the Pakistan Navy said the achievement highlighted its “unwavering commitment to regional maritime security, global peace, and the collective fight against illicit trafficking at sea.” It further said that the successful operation reaffirmed Pakistan’s “active role as a responsible maritime partner contributing to peace and security in the wider Indian Ocean region.”
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf commended the crew for their professionalism and dedication. He emphasized that the Pakistan Navy “remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard national maritime interests while contributing to the global commons through cooperation and coordinated maritime security efforts,” the statement said. The naval chief underscored that the Yarmook’s operation under the Saudi-led task force “will further enhance the interoperability between the two navies and strengthen defence collaboration between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.”
The Yarmook, an electronic warfare, anti-ship and anti-air platform equipped with cutting-edge self-protection and terminal defense systems, is capable of performing a variety of maritime operations, including those involving unmanned aerial vehicles, simultaneously. Its commissioning ceremony was held in Romania in February 2020, and it was inducted into the Pakistan Navy fleet in December 2020.The vessel has been involved in previous high-profile missions. In March of last year, it was employed in a rescue operation after a distress call from a boat carrying eight Iranian fishermen that had caught fire. In July 2024, it was deployed in the Indian Ocean with an embarked helicopter for the safety and security of merchant ships bound to and coming from Pakistan’s ports.
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