HMCS Regina returns after shaking out drug smugglers, saving fishermen

HAWAII, – Hundreds of Canadian sailors are returning from an eight-month maritime security and counter terrorism mission in the Arabian Sea where they disrupted suspected drug smugglers and rescued fishermen gone adrift.

The HMCS Regina will be back at an Esquimalt, B.C., port next week carrying about 260 crew members who patrolled key shipping regions over six million square kilometres of international waters.

Cmdr. Jason Boyd told reporters from Hawaii that the mission’s most tangible result was intercepting a vessel believed to be transporting hashish off the coast of Yemen.

He says the culprits fled and apparently tossed about 450 kilograms of the drug overboard, but it wasn’t recovered because it likely sank.

Boyd says the crew also assisted a distressed Yemeni fishing boat that had no fuel or food by providing resources and sustenance for the trip back to port.

He says the proactive mission was aimed at being the eyes and ears of the Canadian government in the piracy-prone region while seeking to prevent the transport of illicit weapons and drugs.