THE Australian-led naval task force conducting counter-terror and security operations in the Middle East has intercepted a pair of smuggling vessels carrying an estimated 1.5 tonnes of cannabis.
Task force commander, Australian navy Commodore Charles McHardie, says a helicopter from the British frigate HMS Northumberland observed the vessel crews throwing their cargo overboard as the warship approached in the Gulf of Oman.
A search revealed 120 kilograms of cannabis still on board with their total cargo assessed as 1500 kilograms.
Commodore McHardie says this much cannabis has a street value of up to US$7.5 million.
"The destruction of this cargo ensures that it will not fund the activities of extremists," he said in a statement.
Commodore McHardie is the fourth Australian commander of the Bahrain-based Combined Task Force 150 (CTF150), a multinational coalition maritime force which operates in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
Australian frigate HMAS Toowoomba is currently supporting CTF150 operations.
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