Sailor's part in capture of drug haul

- Friday, July 24, 2009

A HENDY sailor has played a part in the seizure of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than £33 million.

Electronics surveillance officer Christopher Quinn was serving aboard the Royal Navy frigate HMS Iron Duke when it captured three-quarters of a tonne of the Class A drug, possibly destined for the streets of Europe and the UK.

The warship is conducting counter-drugs operations as part of a multi-national task force and the cocaine was seized in a night-time operation off the coast of South America.

Mr Quinn's proud dad, Martin, of Iscoed Road, said: "This seizure is a big thing for the ship and for Chris.

"I think he said the seizure was about £60 million worth, but that might have been dollars.

"He did say they shot the engines out on the ship to stop it.

"They took prisoners and they were transferred to an American ship.

"This sort of thing proves their worth. It's good for morale on the ship."

It comes in the wake of another successful Navy anti-drugs operation.

Yesterday, we reported how a Royal Marine from Kidwelly, Captain Gareth Tennant, had led the HMS Cumberland boarding party which seized 12.4 tonnes of cannabis resin from smugglers on the so-called "Hash Highway" in the Gulf.

Mr Quinn, a former Bryngwyn comprehensive pupil, was involved in electronic surveillance when there was a sighting of the suspect vessel, fitting the profile of a "go-fast", the term used for the specially-built speed boats which traffic cocaine out of South America.

HMS Iron Duke closed in to investigate and launched her Lynx helicopter.

When the crew of the go-fast started to throw overboard bulky objects, later identified as cocaine bales, suspicions were confirmed.

HMS Iron Duke launched her speedboats with a joint Royal Navy and US Coastguard team, who ordered the suspicious vessel to stop; US Coast Guard officers then conducted a boarding.

The go-fast's crew were detained, the drugs seized, and the traffickers' boat itself was later destroyed by HMS Iron Duke, because it presented a hazard to shipping.

Twenty-seven-year-old Mr Quinn was also serving on the frigate last year when it made a similar drugs bust while on operations in the region with Prince William, when it seized drugs with an estimated UK street value of £45 million.

His father said: "Chris has had an interesting career.

"He was on HMS Marlborough when it opened up its four-and-a-half inch guns, the first salvo, in the Iraq War.

"He enjoys the Navy. That's his life."

Story Credit - www.thisissouthwales.co.uk