Dutch Navy’s air defense and command frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (F802) intercepted 320 kilos of drugs in the Caribbean Sea between Venezuela and Jamaica.
Four suspected drug smugglers were arrested during the operation.
A Caribbean Coast Guard maritime patrol aircraft discovered a small, fast-sailing ‘go-fast’ vessel and informed the frigate.
De Zeven Provinciën then dispatched the embarked Belgian Navy Alouette III helicopter which managed to stop the vessel.
The recovered packages that were thrown overboard by the four smugglers during the chase contained a combination of marijuana, hashish and MDMA.
A U.S. Law Enforcement Detachment embarked on De Zeven Provinciën for the Caribbean patrol deployment seized the boat and the contraband.
This is the frigate’s fourth drug-interception during the deployment. The ship had previously intercepted an overall of 850 kilos of cocaine and 400 kilograms of marijuana.