Navy ship conducts drug interdiction in Arabian Sea

Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson captured over 2,000 pounds of suspected narcotics in the Arabian Sea, the U.S. Navy said on Monday.

The interdiction was in support of the 33-nation Combined Maritime Forces' mission known as Combined Task Force 150, which combats illicit operations on the seas.

The Navy ship, assigned to the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, found a stateless dhow, a privately-owned sailing vessel, "loitering without power in international waters" on Friday, a Navy statement said.

After determining that the dhow was not in distress and had no flag registration documentation, it was boarded and the suspected narcotics were discovered.

In light of COVID-19 regulations, the contraband was decontaminated. It is currently in U.S. custody, awaiting analysis.

"U.S. Navy's Ralph Johnson was operating in direct support to CTF-150, marking the 4th drug seizure under the Task Force since October," a post on the ship's Facebook page said.

The Combined Maritime Forces, formed in 2002 and currently led by the Royal Saudi Naval Force, conduct security operations in the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean.