HMS Ocean, the helicopter carrier on anti-drug operations in the Caribbean, has seized nearly half a tonne of cocaine with a street value of around £29 million.

Fifteen bales of the drug were hoisted from the sea by one of the ship’s Merlin helicopters after drug smugglers tried to drop them into a waiting boat.

The seizure is the second in six weeks for the Plymouth-based ship during her security patrol in the Atlantic and Caribbean. HMS Ocean and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship are working closely with the US Coastguard and other law enforcement agencies in the war against drug smuggling in the region.

On 24 June, Ocean’s Sea King picked up the trail of a suspicious aircraft which looked likely to be planning a drugs drop to a waiting boat. The ship launched two of her landing craft, manned by Royal Marines of 9 Assault Squadron, which sped ahead of the ship to the site of the potential drop.

A Merlin helicopter also took off equipped with a Maritime sniper team skilled at disabling small boats’ engines. The Merlin observed the aircraft drop bales into the water, which were picked up by a waiting boat, and dived lower for a closer look.

The boat’s crew threw the bales into the sea when they realised they were under surveillance and headed for the coast, leaving the drugs to be picked up by the Royal Marines’ landing craft. In the dark ten bales were recovered, and at first light the Merlin spotted another five.

The Commanding Officer of HMS Ocean, Capt Russ Harding, said:  “This second drug seizure by Ocean is solid evidence of the success of the ship’s ability to interdict the air smuggling route from South America using the powerful combination of my Merlin and Sea King aircraft, backed up by the Royal Marine assault squadron.”

He added:  “We look forward to staying on patrol in the region to continue to disrupt this trade.”