While conducting maritime security operations in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden, the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) interdicted a shipment of illicit narcotics aboard a stateless vessel, on January 24.
Specifically, the vessel’s board, search and seizure team discovered and seized 4.7 tonnes of hashish during a flag verification boarding.
The suspect vessel was determined to be stateless during the boarding. Yet, the vessel and its crew were permitted to depart after the narcotics were confiscated.
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It is the second incident the destroyer has completed in a month. The Chung-Hoonseized over 5,000 kilograms of hashish from a dhow in the same region on December 27, 2018.
Cmdr. Brent Jackson, commanding officer of the Chung-Hoon commented
What I’m most proud of is the synergy between our information, operations and boarding teams that allowed us to complete the mission.
Moreover, the destroyer Chung-Hoon is on patrol in the Gulf of Eden along with amphib USS Fort McHenry, and interdicting illicit drug shipments into Yemen and Somalia is a part of itsmission.
According to the Navy, the results indicate that the smuggling often fund terrorism and other illegal activities.
Concluding, the USS Chung-Hoon is named after Rear Adm. Chung-Hoon, a decorated commander in WWII and the Korean War. He was also the first admiral of Chinese-Hawaiian ancestry in the U.S. Navy.
