Sailors and Coast Guard members attached to the destroyer Momsen seized 640 kilograms of methamphetamine from a fishing vessel May 15-16, while conducting a patrol in international waters in the Gulf of Oman. The haul is valued at $39 million.
The crew found the contraband during a flag-verification boarding. Both the vessel and illegal drugs remain in U.S. hands. The nine crewmembers of the fishing vessel, who identified themselves as Iranian, will be transferred to a nation in the region where they will be repatriated.
According to a Navy announcement, Momsen was operating in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 when it encountered the vessel as it was traveling through international waters known as a route associated with unlawful maritime activity. The crew of the fishing vessel tried to discard more than 60 bales of the drug when Momsen approached.
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