U.S. Coast Guard Cutter seized $24.3 million hashish and methamphetamines in the North Arabian Sea, as part of the efforts to disrupt illicit activities in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
It was the third seizure by a Combined Maritime Forces-assigned cutter in four days, following seizures by USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. and USCGC John Scheuerman of hashish, heroin, methamphetamines and pills with a total estimated street value of $24.5 million on December 24 and December 26 in the Gulf of Oman.
The Combined Maritime Forces, a multinational maritime partnership committed to disrupting criminal and terrorist activities, reported that a USCG Sentinel-class cutter, Robert Goldman, boarded a dhow at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time on December 28 after it displayed indicators consistent with illicit drug trafficking.
Aboard, the team discovered over 300 bags of drugs containing 3,514 kilograms of hashish and 417 kilograms of methamphetamines.
The team released the dhow and disposed of the illicit drugs.
This interdiction marked the twelfth time Combined Task Force 150 assets have seized illegal narcotics at sea since France took command in July 2023.
Since 2021, units assigned to the Combined Maritime Forces have seized more than $1 billion in illegal drugs while patrolling waters across the Middle East.
