War on drugs hurts terrorists
Australian and New Zealand warships have seized almost $1 billion in drugs in the past six weeks that could have been used to fund terrorist organisations.
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Newcastle and New Zealand ship HMNZS Te Kaha intercepted shipments of highly purified heroin off East Africa.
The drugs were en route from the Middle East to Tanzania.
HMAS Newcastle seized 724kg of narcotics valued at $597 million in four separate boardings of ships. During the same operation, HMNZS Te Kaha seized 257kg of narcotics valued at $214 million.
The Newcastle’s commanding officer Cdr Dominic MacNamara said the operations were a major blow to both drug syndicates and terror groups.
“These interdictions demonstrate that the Royal Australian Navy are serious about removing these streams of revenue for terrorism,” he said.
Although the drugs busts are huge, they are not the biggest made by an Australian ship.
Last year the warships HMAS Toowoomba and HMAS Darwin made combined seizures valued at $2.1 billion.
Australia sends warships to patrol the east coast of Africa as part of the international effort to deter piracy and drug smuggling in the region known as Operation Manitou. Most of the heroin seized by the navy is grown in Afghanistan, with the funds raised used to support the Taliban and regional criminal syndicates.
In most cases the drugs captured are thrown overboard after being weighed and tested.
As well as making drug busts, the navy has also been involved in high-stakes anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa.
In 2013 HMAS Melbourne launched a helicopter to chase two pirate boats that had earlier sprayed a supertanker and fishing vessel with gunfire.
In 2011 HMAS Stuart stopped a dhow and rescued three crew from Somali pirates.
