U.S. Seizes $3M in Drugs in Arabian Sea

[Rose Siding]

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- U.S. sailors seized an estimated $3 million worth of drugs Saturday as an Arab sailing crew in the northern Arabian Sea tossed the bags overboard. Authorities were investigating whether al-Qaida was linked to the shipment.

The seizure of 85 pounds of heroin came a day after the U.S. Navy announced the Dec. 15 confiscation of two tons of hashish believed tied to Osama bin Laden's terror network. That seizure, in the Persian Gulf, was considered by Western analysts to be some of the first hard evidence of al-Qaida links to drug smuggling.

In a daybreak raid Saturday, sailors on a guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea boarded two dhows, or traditional Arab sailing boats, and detained 21 crew members, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet. The dhows were also confiscated.

A U.S. Navy aircraft filmed the crew of one dhow throwing approximately 200 bags of suspected drugs overboard as it "attempted to outrun" the Navy cruiser, the statement said.
snip>

Rear Adm. Jim Stavridis said in the statement that U.S. officials are "investigating potential al-Qaida connections to these operations."

Newsday

[JailBush]

1. Amazing

I posted this earlier. What amazed me was the revelation that U.S. forces have boarded 3,000 ships this year! It's probably only a matter of time before someone shoots back.

[FormerOstrich]

3. JailBush...

where did you see the 3000 ships? I didn't see that in the article. Did I miss something?

Awhile back we were hearing about the boarding of ships but there hasn't been much said, of late. I am wondering how that compares to the pre-War against Terror days. Do you have any statistics?

I fear with the CIA detention facilities sprouting world wide and our obvious above-the-law in your face attitude that there are no telling how many atrocities are being committed worldwide that we are completly unaware of. If you stop and think about what we do know, the what we don't know starts to be frightening.....

Geez speaking of frightening am I sounding like Rummy boy or what???

[JailBush]

5. 3,000 Ships

I didn't notice your reply until just now. I think there were two or three articles about this incident listed on Google News. I can't remember which article I referenced, but it said the U.S. had targeted 5,000 ships and boarded 3,000. Regarding the ship they allegedly nailed for drug smuggling, it said the federal government wouldn't reveal where the ship originated, where it was going, or how they knew it was linked to Al-Qaida.

[pinto]

2. I am so glad Navy had foresight to have camera crew on hand...n/t

[treefrogjohn]

4. 85 lbs of heroin is what % of Afganistan's exports?

0.00000001% perhaps. At least now that the Taliban are gone and it is OK to grow poppies again.