Cocaine worth £10m has been seized from a yacht
in the Caribbean following an operation by the US Coast Guard and Royal Navy
services.

HMS Argyll had been helping victims of
Hurricane Gonzalo just 24 hours before when the ship’s Lynx helicopter spotted the vessel in the
Atlantic and and alerted the ship, which went on to stop the yacht.

A search by the US Coast Guard Law
Enforcement Detachment, working with the Type 23 frigate, discovered 10 bales
of cocaine on board.

The large quantity of drugs were
confiscated from the yacht and the two crewmembers taken into custody.

Defence secretary Michael Fallon, said:
“This is yet another clear demonstration of the flexibility and versatility of
the Royal Navy. HMS Argyll and her crew are playing a key role in disrupting
the drugs trade, which blights the UK. 

“The British people should be proud of the
work that they undertake on our behalf.”

HMS Argyll is operating as a part of a
15-nation collaboration to stop criminal organisation getting access to Central
America, with a focus on the illegal movement of drugs from South America to
the West.

This latest drugs bust comes just two
months after more than £20m worth of cocaine was seized on board a yacht off
the coast of Ireland.

Picture credit: Ministry of Defence/Royal Navy