Pakistan Navy ships HUNAIN and YARMOOK have seized more than 2,800 kilogrammes of narcotics, estimated to be worth approximately $750 million, during a joint counter-narcotics operation in the Arabian Sea.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the two naval vessels were conducting a routine patrol when their crews identified and intercepted a suspicious boat.
Naval personnel subsequently boarded the vessel and discovered the narcotics hidden inside “concealed compartments,” the military’s media wing said.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf praised the officers and crew involved in the operation for their “professionalism and vigilance”.
He also reaffirmed the Pakistan Navy’s commitment to protecting maritime security and combating the trafficking of narcotics and other illicit goods at sea.
President Asif Ali Zardari separately commended the naval personnel involved in the seizure, describing the Navy’s efforts to prevent illegal activity in Pakistan’s maritime areas as valuable to national security.
“Pakistan Navy is playing a valuable role in protecting the country’s maritime boundaries and sea routes,” Zardari said, adding that Pakistan remained committed to “promoting peace and security and curbing illegal activities.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also congratulated the officers and personnel involved in the operation.
In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Shehbaz praised the Navy’s “professionalism, vigilance and surveillance” in carrying out the major seizure.