Pakistan claims $972mn drug haul from two boats in Arabian Sea

Combined Maritime Forces confirm the boats were stateless, seized within 48 hours under Operation Al Masmak launched on Oct 16

Pakistan has claimed to have seized narcotics worth over $972 million from two sailing boats in the Arabian Sea during a joint operation with a Saudi-led maritime task force.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) said Pakistan Navy ship Yarmook stopped the vessels within a span of 48 hours under Focused Operation Al Masmak, which began on Oct 16.

The operation was conducted under Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, a Saudi-led naval group operating under CMF with support from partners including the United States.

According to the CMF statement, Yarmook’s crew boarded the first dhow on Oct 18, recovering over two tonnes of crystal methamphetamine (ICE) with an estimated street value of $822.4 million.

Less than two days later, the same crew boarded another dhow, seizing 350kg of crystal meth worth $140 million, along with 50kg of cocaine valued at $10 million, it said.

The narcotics were brought back to the ship for testing before being destroyed, CMF confirmed.

The statement also noted that both vessels were operating without automatic identification systems and bore no visible national markings, later being identified as stateless boats.

No details were given about their origin or intended destination.

The CMF said the seizures reflect “one of the most successful narcotics operations” in the coalition’s history, crediting multinational naval coordination for the outcome.