Coast Guard ship seized $110 million in drugs in three days
Just say no.
A Coast Guard cutter patrolling in the Gulf of Oman made two major drug busts over three days resulting in the capture of roughly $110 million worth of illegal narcotics.
On May 10 the USCGC Glen Harris interdicted a small fishing vessel that had sailed from the port of Chah Bahar, in Iran. The boarding party discovered 1,964 kilograms of heroin, valued at around $80 million, according to a statement from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.
Just two days earlier, the Glen Harris stopped another small fishing vessel that had sailed from the same Iranian port. Aboard that ship, the Coast Guard found 580 kilograms of methamphetamine and another 35 kilograms of heroin. This drug bust was valued at $30 million.
“I’m very proud of my crew and all we’ve been able to accomplish as a team this week,” said Lt. Nick Jabs, Glen Harris’s commanding officer, in a statement. “We’re out here to work with regional partners and disrupt any destabilizing maritime activity at sea. We will continue getting after it.”
The USCGC Glen Harris is part of Combined Task Force 150, operating in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf of Oman, and is composed of personnel from 38 nations. With this latest bust, CTF 150 has seized roughly $260 million in drugs since the beginning of 2023.
The maritime routes the task force patrols are commonly used by smugglers to traffick drugs, weapons, and explosive material. Much of this illicit cargo originates from Iran and is used to support Houthi rebel groups in Yemen, which are backed by the Iranian government.
Last month, Navy and Coast Guard personnel from the guided missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton found 802 kilograms of methamphetamines and 1,000 kilograms of hashish on another small fishing vessel sailing through the Gulf of Oman. And in January, the coastal patrol ships USS Chinook and USS Monsoon stopped a small boat carrying an arsenal of 2,116 assault rifles.
All in all, it was a big week for the USCGC Glen Harris.
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