By IANS,
London : Prince William was part of a naval team that raided a smugglers’ speedboat on the Atlantic Ocean and seized cocaine worth £40 million Wednesday.
The prince’s ship, Iron Duke, was involved in the raid. He himself was in the frigate’s Lynx helicopter which first spotted the boat, off the north-eastern coast of Barbados, the ministry of defence said. US coast guard officers were on the frigate at that time.
The Iron Duke received an intelligence alert about the smuggling boat following which the Lynx took off from the frigate on a recce. Officers stopped the boat and a search found about 900 kilos of cocaine with a market value of £40 million, The Guardian reported.
The Iron Duke’s mission includes intercepting drug smugglers and assisting with disaster relief in the event of a hurricane striking the Caribbean region.
William, a future head of the armed forces, joined the Iron Duke on June 24 as part of a secondment to the navy. Though he joined the Household Cavalry, like Prince Harry, it was considered too great a risk to the heir to the throne – and fellow soldiers – to send him to Afghanistan.