A crew from the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Emlen Tunnell seizes illegal drugs from a stateless vessel in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 7, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard)

MANAMA, Bahrain — A U.S. Coast Guard fast-response cutter seized nearly 5,300 pounds of hashish from a vessel in the Arabian Sea recently in the latest major drug bust for Combined Task Force 150, the Navy said Tuesday.

The Friday interdiction by the fast response cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell took place under New Zealand’s leadership of the task force, according to a statement by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

It is one of five in the Middle East part of the 46-country naval partnership known as Combined Maritime Forces. New Zealand took the reins of the task force on Jan. 15.

The bust announced Tuesday was the first under its leadership. The statement did not give a value for the drugs seized.

Commodore Rodger Ward, commander of CTF 150, praised the teamwork shown in the bust.

“This is why we’re here: to contribute to maritime security and protect the rules-based international order,” Ward said.

Emlen Tunnell, which is based in Bahrain, has been a standout in Middle East drug interdiction. In 2023, it seized hashish and methamphetamine worth an estimated $33 million from a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

In the six months prior to that seizure, CTF 150 ships logged more than 10,000 hours on regional patrols and intercepted six shipments of illegal drugs — including opium, heroin, hashish and meth — worth more than $250 million, according to the Navy.