The station ship HNLMS Holland started on Monday, September 2, with her patrols in the Caribbean Sea. Four days later, on Friday, September 6, in the morning, it was a direct hit. They received notification that morning that the patrol plane Dash 8 from the Coastguard Caribbean Region localized a suspicious go-fast in the neighborhood of the ABC islands. HNLMS Holland immediately took action upon this and launched the rapid interception boats, the FRISCs, with onboard combined teams consisting of the ship’s crew, the US Coast Guard, and the Fleet Marine Squadron. Also, the ship’s helicopter, the NH90, helped from the air during this counter-drug operation. The suspects on the drugs boat, several times, ignored the order to stop. The go-fast only stopped after targeted shots at the boat’s engines.
Cocaine and Marijuana
On board the smuggling boat were 9 passengers; a total of 52 packages were confiscated. These contained 210 kilograms of cocaine and 2110 kilograms of marijuana. The suspects and the drugs were handed over to the US Coast Guard. One suspect was wounded and, therefore, had to be brought to Curaçao by the NH90 helicopter to receive medical care.
Station ship
The station ship HNLMS Holland amongst other things is deployed mostly for counter drugs operations. In order to do this, the crewmembers alternately work together with the US Coast Guard and Coastguard Caribbean Region.
