French navy in Mideast seizes $108M drug shipment in Indian Ocean
The seizures mark the latest sign of US and allied cooperation on interdiction in Gulf waterways.
A French navy vessel operating in the Middle East as part of a US-led coalition seized four separate shipments of drugs worth $108 million over the past month, the coalition announced Wednesday.
The warship confiscated 2,265 kilograms (4,993 pounds) of heroin and 242 kilograms (533 pounds) of methamphetamine from four different vessels in the Indian Ocean between April 19 and May 18, the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) coalition said in a press release.
Neither the US 5th Fleet nor the coalition revealed the name of the French vessel behind the interdictions.
Why it matters: The United States has encouraged Western allies to take a more prominent role in naval patrols in Middle Eastern waters in recent years as Washington seeks to deter China in the Pacific.
