Royal Navy sink drug smugglers' speedboat after seizing huge 680kg haul of pure cocaine worth £100m in the Caribbean

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Sailors from HMS Lancaster seized 680kg of pure cocaine
Helicopter tracked down speedboat after being spotted by coastguard
Lancaster part of 15-nation operation to police Caribbean waters
Suspects threw 22 bales of cocaine overboard but it was recovered

Published: 10:59 EST, 14 August 2013 | Updated: 11:14 EST, 14 August 2013

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Cocaine worth £100million has been seized by Royal Navy sailors off the coast of Puerto Rico.

Sailors from HMS Lancaster seized 680kg of pure cocaine, made of 22 bales, after boarding a speedboat near the Caribbean island.

The Ministry of Defence said the 30ft speedboat, which was hidden by a tarpaulin, had been spotted by a U.S. Customs and Border Agency aircraft, prompting the bust.

A Royal Navy gunner on board HMS Lancaster using a machine gun to destroy a speed boat where sailors seized cocaine worth £100million off the coast of Puerto Rico

The boat, which was carrying three people, was destroyed so it cannot be used in further drug smuggling

A lynx helicopter and high-speed pursuit boat were launched from the Portsmouth-based HMS Lancaster to intercept the vessel.

Three suspected smugglers threw the drugs overboard, but they were recovered by divers.

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A total of 22 bales of pure cocaine were seized along with the three men. They, and the drugs, were handed over to the Coast Guard cutter Sapelo and then authorities in Puerto Rico.

The empty drugs boat was then sunk by Royal Navy gunfire - in line with standard procedure - to prevent its use in future smuggling operations.

The Type 23 frigate's commanding officer, Commander Steve Moorhouse, said it was the third success in as many weeks for the ship, which is working with US authorities as part of a joint effort to fight drug smuggling in the Caribbean.

Armed Royal Navy personnel can be seen pointing guns at the three men after they intercepted the speedboat

A sailor carries two of 22 cocaine bales recovered from the ocean after being thrown overboard by the suspects

'This is a great result, not only for Lancaster but also everyone involved in the multinational effort to stem the flow of drugs in the region,' he said.

'My ship's company can be incredibly proud of what they have achieved, their professionalism and teamwork continue to shine, and our close relationship with our partner nations and law enforcement agencies is proving to be hugely successful.'

He said in the past three weeks his crew have seized marijuana worth £700,000 and large quantities of heroin and cocaine.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond praised the crew's work today, saying: 'This extraordinary quantity of drugs has been stopped from reaching the streets by the swift actions of the Royal Navy, working closely with the U.S. Coastguard.

Sailors look on as the speedboat burns in the ocean off the coast of Puerto Rico

A Lynx helicopter (pictured) was launched from the Lancaster after the Coast Guard spotted the boat

The HMS Lancaster is part of Operation Martillo, a 15-nation effort to fight smuggling in the Caribbean

'This is HMS Lancaster's second counter narcotics patrol in the Caribbean to tackle the drugs trade and the entire ship's company should be proud of this remarkable achievement.

'This is another example of the skills and capability that mean our Armed Forces are held in high regard by our partners around the world.'

HMS Lancaster is currently on patrol with a team from the US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment who provide intelligence in catching drug runners.

She is on her second counter-narcotics patrol of the Caribbean region and will continue to fight drug smuggling until the end of the year.

The patrols are part of Operation Martillo, a 15-nation effort to fight drug smuggling and to stop the movement of drugs from South America into the Caribbean and onwards to the UK.

Over the past year the U.S. Coast Guard has seized 45,195lb of cocaine and 8,500lb of marijuana during 22 law enforcement interceptions.

As well as counter-narcotic operations with the U.S., HMS Lancaster is carrying out other tasks across the Caribbean to support British interests, including providing reassurance and security for British Overseas Territories and the provision of humanitarian aid and disaster relief during the core hurricane season.