Canadian warships join multinational campaign against transnational drug trafficking
Xinhua, October 7, 2016 Adjust font size:
Canadian warships departed on Thursday to participate in an international operation against drug trafficking by transnational criminal organizations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean, the Canadian Ministry of National Defence said.
The warships Brandon and Edmonton departed Esquimalt, British Colombia Thursday to participate in Operation CARIBBE in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, while the warship Kingston is to depart Halifax on Friday to conduct operations in the Caribbean area, it said.
This annual operation directly supports the Canadian Armed Forces' mission to defend against threats and security challenges to Canada, North America, and Canada's defence and security partners, it added.
The three warships are expected to build upon the success of Canadian warships, which so far in 2016 have seized a total of some 2,930 kilograms of cocaine and 1,520 kilograms of marijuana in working with the United States Coast Guard.
The ministry said the Canadian Armed Forces have conducted Operation CARIBBE since November 2006 and remained committed to working with Western Hemisphere and European partners to address security challenges in the region and to disrupt illicit trafficking operations. Endit