More than 67 tons of drugs worth 189 million dollars (167 million euros) were seized during operations around the Gulf in 2021, more than the previous four years combined, announced a multinational naval coalition. .
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Bahrain-based Naval Task Force 150 overseen by the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) seized a record number of drugs this year, CMF spokesman Tim Hawkins said.
Thirty-four nations, including France, are members of the CMF which patrols some 8.3 million square kilometers of international waters.
In 2021, the seizure was greater than that of the previous four years, he stressed.
So far, 6.5 tons of heroin, more than four tons of methamphetamine and nearly 57 tons of cannabis resin have been seized and destroyed, he told AFP.
This is the largest quantity of heroin seized since the creation of the task force in 2002.
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In November, eight operations carried out in the Indian Ocean led to the seizure of narcotics estimated at 26 million dollars (22.9 million euros), according to the market value on the regional market.
According to the commander of Task Force 150, Captain Brendon Clark, the drugs come from many countries in the region.