KARACHI: The Pakistan Navy, in one of the largest maritime drug seizures in recent history, confiscated narcotics valued at over $972 million during a major operation in the Arabian Sea, officials confirmed on Thursday.
The operation, codenamed Focused Operation Al Masmak, was conducted by PNS Yarmook under the Saudi-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).
According to a Navy spokesperson, the two-day mission involved intercepting two suspicious dhows that were neither registered nor transmitting on the Automatic Identification System (AIS).
During the first interception on October 18, naval personnel discovered over two tons of crystal methamphetamine (ICE) worth approximately $822.4 million. Within 48 hours, another dhow was stopped, yielding 350 kilograms of meth valued at $140 million and 50 kilograms of cocaine worth $10 million.
The seized drugs were transferred to the naval ship for verification and later destroyed under strict international supervision, in compliance with global anti-narcotics protocols.
Officials lauded the Pakistan Navy’s unwavering commitment to curbing maritime smuggling and regional security threats, emphasizing that such operations reinforce Pakistan’s role as a key partner in global counter-narcotics efforts.
