William's ship seizes drugs haul
A warship on which Prince William is serving has seized cocaine valued at £40m, in the West Indies, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The prince is spending five weeks on board the frigate HMS Iron Duke as it patrols the North Atlantic.
The MoD said the drugs had been intercepted on a speedboat, in a joint operation with the US Coast Guard, north-east of Barbados on Saturday.
It added that William was "part of the ship's company" during the operation.
The exact role of the prince, or Sub Lt Wales as he is known on board, was not specified.
The statement added: "All of HMS Iron Duke's ship's company played their part."
Before he joined the crew, the MoD said William's duties would include joining patrols searching the waters of the Caribbean for drug runners.
He would also contribute to the counter-drug and disaster-relief planning operations, it said.
'Fantastic start'
The 50ft (15m) speedboat was thought to be heading for Europe or Africa when it was ordered to stop.
US Coast Guard officials on the frigate boarded the vessel and discovered 45 bales of cocaine weighing a total of 900kg (1,980lb).
The speedboat had been spotted by HMS Iron Duke's Lynx helicopter, and suspicions were raised because the small craft was so far out at sea.
The drugs were taken on board the frigate and five crew members were detained. After the operation, the speedboat sank.
The ship's commanding officer, Commander Mark Newland, said: "This is a fantastic start to HMS Iron Duke's North Atlantic deployment.
"To have had a direct impact on the flow of cocaine into Europe just four days after we arrived in theatre shows the benefit the Royal Navy can have in the area of maritime security and counter drug operations."
The principal role of HMS Iron Duke is to support British territories, Commonwealth countries and other allies in the North Atlantic, including disaster relief if a hurricane strikes.
02-07-2008, 14:57
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