Below are a pair of news releases from NAVCENT.
U.S. Seizes $80 Million Heroin Shipment in Gulf of Oman
By U.S. Naval Central Forces Command Public Affairs
USCGC Glen Harris (WPC 1144) was operating in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 when a boarding team discovered 1,964 kilograms of heroin on a vessel transiting international waters after departing Chah Bahar, Iran. Glen Harris also seized $30 million worth of methamphetamine and heroin two days ago from another fishing vessel that departed the same port.
“I’m very proud of my crew and all we’ve been able to accomplish as a team this week,” said Lt. Nick Jabs, Glen Harris’s commanding officer. “We’re out here to work with regional partners and disrupt any destabilizing maritime activity at sea. We will continue getting after it.”
Glen Harris’s previous seizure on May 8 included 580 kilograms of methamphetamine and 35 kilograms of heroin.
The ship arrived in the Middle East last year as part of a contingent of U.S. Coast Guard cutters that are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia.
CTF 150 is one of four task forces that form the world’s largest multinational naval partnership, Combined Maritime Forces. Naval forces supporting CTF 150 have now seized illegal drugs worth a combined estimated U.S. street value of more than $250 million in 2023. These efforts help ensure legitimate commercial shipping transits the region free from non-state threats.
U.S. Coast Guard Seizes $30 Million in Drugs with International Task Force
By U.S. Naval Central Forces Command Public Affairs
Operating in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, USCGC Glen Harris (WPC 1144) seized 580 kilograms of methamphetamine and 35 kilograms of heroin from a vessel transiting international waters after departing Chah Bahar, Iran.
CTF 150 is one of four task forces that form the world’s largest multinational naval partnership, Combined Maritime Forces. Naval forces supporting CTF 150 have seized illegal drugs worth a combined estimated U.S. street value of nearly $200 million in 2023.
Glen Harris arrived in the Middle East last year and operates from the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain where CMF is headquartered with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet.
The fast response cutter is part of a contingent of U.S. Coast Guard ships forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships alongside U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East.
“The dedication and expertise of Glen Harris’s leadership and crew embody our commitment to interdict and remove illicit narcotics from the sea, denying malign actors the ability to destabilize the region,” said Capt. Eric A. Helgen, PATFORSWA’s commander. “I could not be more proud of our fast response cutter crews.”
Currently led by the United Kingdom, CTF 150 conducts maritime security and counter-terrorism operations in the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean to disrupt criminal and terrorist organizations and their related illicit activities, including the movement of personnel, weapons, narcotics and charcoal. These efforts help ensure legitimate commercial shipping transits the region free from non-state threats.
U.S. and international naval units in the Middle East seized illegal drugs totaling $1 billion in value from 2021 to 2022.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 