Over six tons of hashish seized during a recent boarding placed on the flight deck of HMAS Darwin, prior to destruction. Hashish was contained in 306 hessian bags each containing approximately 20 one kilogram coffee bags, a sample of which can be seen on top. *** Local Caption *** HMAS Darwin is currently deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO).
This is the 57th rotation of a Royal Australian Navy warship to the MEAO since the first Gulf War in 1990 and the 33rd deployment under Operation Slipper.
Operation Slipper is the Australian Defence Force Contribution to the international campaign against terrorism, counter smuggling and counter piracy in the Middle East maritime security environment, an area of over 2 million square miles, encompassing the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman.
Over 13 tons of marijuana were seized from a Bolivia-flagged general cargo vessel Joudi some 55 nautical miles off Tobruk, Libya, on January 5, Commander of Turkish Coast Guard Rear Admiral Hakan Üstem said at a press conference.
The seizure was conducted as part of the anti drug operation Albatros.
The vessel, crewed by 10 people, was sailing along the Egyptian and Libyan coast, reportedly on its way to Tartous, Syria.
After the illicit cargo was found, Joudi was directed to one of the nearest Turkish ports, either the southern port of Mersin or Marmaris in the southwest, while the suspects were detained in custody.
The authorities are conducting an investigation of the incident.
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