French Warship Seizes Illegal Drugs in North Arabian Sea

French Warship Seizes Illegal Drugs in North Arabian Sea
Boarding teams from the French Marine Nationale frigate FS Guépratte (F714) interdict a fishing vessel in international waters in the North Arabian Sea, Dec. 27. (French Marine Nationale photo)
On December 27, 2022, French Navy's La Fayette-class frigate, FS Guépratte (F714), seized a huge amount of illegal drugs from a fishing vessel in the international waters of the North Arabian Sea. FS Guépratte (F714) carried out the operation under CTF 150 mission, a part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a multinational maritime partnership located in Bahrain.
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Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) press release

A French warship seized illegal drugs worth a total estimated U.S street value of $24 million from a fishing vessel transiting international waters in the North Arabian Sea, Dec. 27.

French Marine Nationale frigate FS Guépratte (F714) was patrolling regional waters in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 when it seized 3,492 kilograms of hashish and 472 kilograms of heroin from the fishing vessel.

Led by the Royal Saudi Navy, CTF 150 is one of four task forces organized under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), the largest international naval partnership in the world consisting of 34 member-nations.

CMF has seized nearly $1 billion worth of illicit narcotics since 2021 while patrolling international waters in the Middle East.

Guépratte previously seized 271 kilograms of heroin from another fishing vessel while patrolling the Gulf of Oman in February 2022.

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