In the space of a week, the Royal Netherlands Navy ship HNLMS Amsterdam has intercepted 2 drugs transports, confiscating a total of 1,200 kilos of cocaine in the process.
In HNLMS Amsterdam’s first interception, the boat carrying the drugs was heading north from Colombia. After the go-fast boat had been picked up on the Amsterdam’s radar, the NH90 shipboard helicopter set off in pursuit and managed to force the boat to stop. The crew of the go-fast boat were then arrested by members of the US Coast Guard’s Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), who were also on board the Amsterdam. A total of 600 kilos of cocaine were found on the boat after a search.
Darkness During the second interception, a suspect speedboat was spotted travelling north from the Venezuelan coast at high speed. HNLMS Amsterdam set course to intercept the boat and, under cover of darkness, managed to get within a mile of the speedboat before its crew noticed that it was being followed. The speedboat then took off at high speed, with the members of its crew dumping the contraband into the sea. Although the go-fast was able to escape, HNLMS Amsterdam’s crew managed to fish 19 bales of cocaine weighing 600 kilos out of the water.
[mappress] Press Release, November 13, 2013; Image: Defensie