By George Allison from UK Defence Journal

RFA Mounts Bay recovered 100kg of Cocaine from Hessian sacks dumped in the Caribbean as drug-runners dumped their cargo and fled from authorities, say the Royal Navy.

The British vessel responded to a tip off from an American patrol aircraft which reported seeing the crew of a boat suspiciously dumping their payload.

Mounts Bay has a Dolphin helicopter from the US Coast Guard’s HITRON – Helicopter Interdiction Tactical squadRON – and its counter-narcotics boarding team, the LEDET (Legal Enforcement DETachment) on board for drugs patrols.

The helicopter was immediately launched and located the jetsam as the ship closed in on the position.

Captain Angus Bissell, RFA Mounts Bay’s Commanding Officer, said:

“Once again we’ve demonstrated that UK and US forces working in partnership are committed to – and showing success in – reducing the flow of drugs throughout the wider Caribbean.”

Mounts Bay is the UK’s long-term naval presence in the Caribbean say the Royal Navy, ‘dedicating her summers and autumns’ to disaster relief operations in the wake of hurricanes which strike with devastating frequency, while the rest of her year is focused on counter drugs patrols.

Last month, she came across 22kg of marijuana.

For more on this story go to; https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/rfa-mounts-bay-in-caribbean-drugs-bust/