The US Navy says it has discovered and seized a fishing vessel carrying heroin from Iran in the Oman Sea. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the Middle East, said all nine crew members had identified themselves as Iranian nationals.
The ship was carrying 385 kilograms of heroin worth about $4 million, according to the Associated Press. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement that two US ships had discovered and seized the cargo on an unidentified fishing vessel in Middle Eastern waters on Monday (December 27th).
About two weeks ago, the US Navy announced the rescue of five Iranians suspected of drug trafficking off the coast of Oman and the seizure of their cargo. The shipments were more than 1,745 kilograms of cannabis, 500 kilograms of methamphetamine and 30 kilograms of heroin, valued at $14.7 million.
On September 20, the Indian media reported the discovery of a large consignment of heroin en route from Bandar Abbas (capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran) to India. The shipment weighed nearly three tons and was valued at $2.7 billion.
