Navy seizes heroin worth Sh10b at sea

An Australian warship seized heroin with an estimated street value of Sh10.7 billion (US$123 million) off the coast of Somalia, the country’s defence department said on Thursday.

The 449 kilogramme haul, found in a dhow is the second to be intercepted following another Sh23.2 billion seized and destroyed by Australian Navy off the Kenyan coast recently.

The latest heroin haul was intercepted by HMAS Darwin while patrolling the Indian Ocean some 40 nautical miles off Somalia’s east coast.

The ship’s commander Terry Morrison said the seizure “removed a major source of funding for terrorist and criminal networks which included Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Al-Shabaab”.

The drugs were hidden in 20 bags, each weighing between 20 to 25 kilogrammes each.

HMAS Darwin is part of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) - a naval partnership involving 30 nations that patrols 2.5 million square miles of international waters.

The Australian ship enforces maritime security with a focus on terrorist activity in the Middle East and Indian Ocean regions as part of the British-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, which operates under the CMF.

The bust, which is the CMF’s seventh “significant seizure” this year, came three weeks after the Australian and British navies jointly found 1,032 kilogrammes of heroin in another dhow off the Kenyan coast.

Security agencies suspect a Pakistani link in the Sh23.2 billion heroin seized and destroyed by Australian Navy off the Kenyan coast recently.

According to the Times of India, the Gujarat-registered dhow Lakshmi Narayan could have been linked to the intercepted 1,032 kilogramme of heroin found hidden among cement bags.

The dhow docked at Mombasa port several days after the seizure and destruction of the Sh23.2 billion heroin haul.

Officials at the Mombasa port who talked to the Nation on condition that they are not named said the vessel called the search and rescue centre saying it was in distress as water was getting in.

CREW FLED

“After they called saying they wanted to call at the Mombasa port, they were given permission to dock at Kilindini but they instead docked at the Old Port,” the official said.

He said it was surprising that immediately the dhow docked, its crew vanished.

“Under normal circumstances, the crew should have waited for the dhow to be repaired if indeed it was letting in water and then sail away.” Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo insisted that they had not established if the vessel was linked to the heroin haul.