British bust terrorist drug shipment

British bust terrorist drug shipment - UPI.com: "The British Royal Navy announced the seizure of more than 25 tons of narcotics during an operation in the Persian Gulf.

Royal Navy crews from the HMS Chatham, HMS Montrose and HMS Edinburgh, while patrolling the Persian Gulf, discovered the drugs, including hashish, opiates, cocaine and amphetamines, hidden in fishing vessels.

British officials suspect the drugs were part of a terrorist network's efforts to raise funds for insurgency operations in Afghanistan, the British Ministry of Defense reported.

'The scourge of illegal drugs is one of the gravest threats to the long-term security of Afghanistan and a vital source of funding for the Taliban warlords who seek violence against Afghan, British and NATO forces,' Commodore Keith Winstanley, commander of the Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf, said in a statement.

'Our mission in Afghanistan is one of absolute importance, and by seizing these drugs we have dealt a significant blow to the illegal trade.'"