The Royal Navy just intercepted an almost unfathomable amount of cocaine: 3-tons of blow, with a cut street value of over $756 Million (£500m). Weighing in at more than 3 tonnes, the haul would have an estimated street value of three-quarters of a billion dollars after it was cut and sold out, which isn’t too shabby for a day’s work from the Royal Navy. Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset caught the Turkish smuggling vessel roughly 100-miles off Aberdeen last week, aboard the drug-smuggling ship were nine Turkish nationals ranging in age from 26-63, each of whom have been charged.
I’ve yet to see any photos from this record blow haul, but to give you an estimate of just how much cocaine was confiscated here is roughly the same amount that was confiscated in Peru last Summer:
The Guardian UK reports:
More than three tonnes of the drug were recovered from the MV Hamal in the North Sea in a joint operation involving the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force and Royal Navy.
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset and Border Force cutter Valiant intercepted the vessel about 100 miles (160km) east of Aberdeen last Thursday after acting on NCA intelligence.
It was then taken to Aberdeen harbour, where Border Force officers with “specialist deep rummage skills” carried out a search supported by Police Scotland.
“The result is this massive discovery – believed to be the biggest single class A drug seizure on record in the UK and likely to be worth several hundred million pounds.
The NCA said the cocaine weighed more than three tonnes in total, which – if cut and sold in the UK – could have had a street value of more than £500m, depending on purity.
The nine-man crew of the Hamal, all Turkish nationals aged 26-63, have been charged with drugs offences.
Mustafa Ceviz, 54, Ibrahim Dag, 47, Mumin Sahin, 45, Muhammet Seckin, 26, Umit Colakel, 38, Kayacan Dalgakiran, 63 and Emin Ozmen, 50, all from Istanbul, were charged with possession of a controlled drug when they appeared at Aberdeen sheriff court on Monday.
Abdulkadir Cirik, 31, from Mersin, and Mustafa Guven, 47, from Yozgat, also faced the same charge.
None of the men made any plea or declaration and all were remanded in custody.
Opponents of the War on Drugs love to point out in these situations that the cocaine, as is, is NOT worth the $756+ million. Only after being cut and disseminated onto the street via individual vendors does it ever reach that value. That said, this is still a ridiculous amount blowcaine. It’s the largest haul ever in Britain, and one that’ll surely make a dent in the coming days where supply meets demand.
And just because I know you’re all thinking the same thing right now, here are some powdery GIFs to get your heart racing: