INS Talwar Seizes 940 kg of Drugs in Arabian Sea Operation

 New Delhi: The Indian Navy ship INS Talwar, operating in support of the Canadian-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, conducted its first interdiction of illegal narcotics as a member of the 42-nation naval Combined Maritime Force, seizing 940 kg of drugs in the Arabian Sea, on April 13.

INS Talwar’s specialist boarding teams and Marcos (marine commandos) seized 453 kg of methamphetamines, 416 kg of hash and 71 kg of heroin from a dhow as part of focused Operation Crimson Barracuda.

“I commend the crew of INS Talwar for their efforts … and their hard work has paid off,” said Royal Canadian Navy Captian Colin Matthews, Commander CTF 150.

The Operation Crimson Barracuda, which concluded on April 15, focused on countering terrorist and criminal organisations’ use of the high seas to conduct smuggling operations in the Western Indian Ocean region.

The CTF 150 is one of five task forces under Combined Maritime Force, the world’s largest international naval partnership, to safeguard 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.