The U.S. Navy seized a boat in the Gulf of Oman that had a load of fertilizer, which can be used to make explosives. The same boat was caught the previous year smuggling weapons to Yemen. The British royal navy also said it confiscated 1,041 kilograms (2,295 pounds) of illegal drugs in the same waters.
These interdictions were part of stepped up vigilance in the Persian Gulf as American and British authorities conduct contraband seizures during the Yemen conflict as well as drug smuggling in the area.
The fertilizer was found on a stateless fishing dhow that was sailing from Iran last Tuesday. U.S. forces found 40 tons of urea fertilizer hidden on boat, which is a necessary ingredient in homemade improvised explosive devices.
A British royal navy vessel seized illegal drugs valued at close to $26 million from a boat traversing the Gulf of Oman on Jan. 15. Iran has seen a boom in the use of methamphetamine in recent years.