ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy Ship Yarmook, operating under the Saudi-led Combined Task Force 150 of the Combined Maritime Forces, seized narcotics valued at about $972 million during a major counter-narcotics operation in the North Arabian Sea, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday.
The operation highlights the Pakistan Navy’s “unwavering commitment to regional maritime security, global peace, and the collective fight against illicit trafficking at sea,” the ISPR said in a statement.
Operating as part of the multinational task force that works to ensure maritime stability and deter terrorism and illegal activities across international waters, the effort by PNS Yarmook “reaffirms Pakistan’s active role as a responsible maritime partner contributing to peace and security in the wider Indian Ocean Region,” the statement added.
The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a naval partnership that includes the United States, said the Pakistani naval vessel intercepted two dhow sailing boats within 48 hours last week. The crew seized several tons of crystal methamphetamine and a smaller amount of cocaine, the CMF said in a statement.
The intercepted vessels were “identified as having no nationality,” the CMF added, without specifying their origin. Royal Saudi Naval Forces Commodore Fahad Aljoiad, commander of the CMF task force leading the operation, described it as “one of the most successful narcotics seizures for CMF.”
The US Central Command, in a post on X, congratulated the Combined Maritime Forces, a coalition of 47 nations, for successful interception. The CMF patrols more than 3 million square miles of sea, including some of the world’s busiest shipping routes, to curb the smuggling of drugs and weapons.
Following the operation, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf commended the crew of PNS Yarmook for their professionalism and dedication.
He said the Pakistan Navy “remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard national maritime interests while contributing to the global commons through cooperation and coordinated maritime security efforts.”
Admiral Ashraf added that the operation under the Saudi-led task force “will further enhance interoperability between the two navies and strengthen defense collaboration between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,” according to ISPR.
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