HMAS Ballarat, the Australian Navy frigate, seized more than 12.9 tonnes of hashish, 1.4 tonnes of heroin and a small amount of methyl amphetamines, with a combined worth of A$1.073 billion ($740 million).
The hauls were seized in 10 separate seizure procedures; The last one took place on May 10, 2019.
In the meantime, the Australian frigate has conducted 31 boarding from November 2018 that has been deployed serving Middle East on Operation Manitou. Specifically, operation Manitou is the name for the Australian Government’s contribution to international efforts to promote maritime security, stability and prosperity in the Middle East.
Commanding Officer of HMAS Ballarat, Commander Paul Johnson noted
Our commitment safeguards our access to international trading routes and ensures we deal with threats before they become serious risks to Australia.
