British and Australian navies carry out record-breaking heroin bust

THE BRITISH and Australian navies have seized the largest ever haul of heroin at sea – with a street value of over £150m.
SEIZED: The record-breaking stash of heroin was seized off the coast of east Africa [EPA]

The drugs were found on a sailboat around 30 miles off the coast of east Africa.
Commodore Jeremy Blunden, the British Royal Navy commander in charge of the operation, said the seizure was a "significant blow" to drug trafficking networks.
"This is the sixth seizure of heroin by the Combined Maritime Forces since January and is by far the largest ever made by the organisation," said Commodore Blunden.
"Pinpointing a dhow [sailboat] in 2.4m square miles of ocean is a real challenge."
After locating the ship with the use of high-tech surveillance equipment the crew of Australian warship HMAS Darwin boarded the vessel.
They uncovered hundreds of plastic bags full of heroin – all of which have now been destroyed.
HMAS Darwin's Commanding Officer, Commander Terry Morrison, said the bust puts a huge dent in terrorist funding networks.
"This is a major heroin seizure, which has removed a major source of funding from terrorist criminal networks. The search tested the steel of Darwin's boarding parties who were working in difficult conditions throughout the night," Commander Morrison said.