French Warship Seizes Illegal Drugs in North Arabian Sea

A French warship seized illegal drugs worth a total estimated U.S street value of $24 million from a fishing vessel transiting international waters in the North Arabian Sea, Dec. 27.

French Marine Nationale frigate FS Guépratte (F714) was patrolling regional waters in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 when it seized 3,492 kilograms of hashish and 472 kilograms of heroin from the fishing vessel.

Led by the Royal Saudi Navy, CTF 150 is one of four task forces organized under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), the largest international naval partnership in the world consisting of 34 member-nations.

CMF has seized nearly $1 billion worth of illicit narcotics since 2021 while patrolling international waters in the Middle East.

Guépratte previously seized 271 kilograms of heroin from another fishing vessel while patrolling the Gulf of Oman in February 2022.

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This piece is written by the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet. Want to feature your story? Reach out to us at [email protected].