Middle East Drug Seizures

Factual Questions
1

I read on the BBC that a boat was stopped in The Gulf of Oman and a large haul of drugs destroyed.

The Royal Navy has seized more than one tonne of illicit drugs thought to be worth almost £15m in the Gulf of Oman.

During the 10-hour operation, large quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, hashish and marijuana were found.

A team from HMS Montrose, based in Devonport, Plymouth, brought the substances back to the warship where they were analysed and destroyed.

What the reports don’t say is what happened to the boat afterwards. I did, in an idle moment, wonder if the boat was a yacht and they could put a prize crew on board and send it somewhere friendly, but the pictures suggest that it would have little actual value.

So. Do they sink it, send it on its way, or what?

2

The Coast Guard has historically auctioned off seized boats, some of which were bought by other drug smugglers. Maybe the Royal Navy does the same.

The Royal Navy has seized more than one tonne of illicit drugs thought to be worth almost £15m in the Gulf of Oman.

That clumsy headline had me wondering what street-level dealing goes on in the Gulf of Oman, and what the drugs would be worth in port. :slight_smile:

3

Oman is far from drug-free, but a putative street level dealer would need to be careful.

There is zero tolerance for drug-related offences. The penalties for importing, trafficking, smuggling and possession, of even residual amounts, of drugs are severe. In some cases, the death penalty could apply. There is no distinction in Omani law between ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ drugs; both are treated with equal severity.