VICTORIA --
A Canadian warship has seized an estimated $23 million in heroin and methamphetamine off the coast of Oman, a record-setting haul for the multinational Combined Maritime Forces coalition that was founded in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The Victoria-based frigate HMCS Calgary intercepted two vessels suspected of smuggling drugs on the Arabian Sea on April 23 and 24.
A search of the first vessel turned up 1,286 kilograms of heroin – the most ever seized by a coalition vessel – while a search of the second boat yielded 360 kilograms of methamphetamine, according to a statement from the Combined Maritime Forces.
The U.S.-led maritime coalition says the combined value of the drugs is over $23.2 million, adding that drug-trafficking profits in the region are often used to finance terrorism.