Dutch naval ship HNLMS Groningen intercepted two drug shipments in the Caribbean Sea on February 13 and 25.
An American patrol aircraft informed HNLMS Groningen about the two go-fasts during its patrol. The fast interceptor boat, the FRISC, chased the go-fasts and forced them to stop. The FRISC carried a combined team of the ship's crew and a US Coast Guard law enforcement detachment assigned on board HNLMS Groningen. One go-fast managed to escape but threw contraband overboard, which was picked up by the FRISC.
The suspected smugglers on the second go-fast surrendered after the Dutch helicopter fired warning shots. The two suspects and the contraband were later transferred to the crew of the US Coast Guard for prosecution in the United States. A total of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine was seized.
Zr.Ms. Groningen has been patrolling the region as a station ship in the Caribbean since January 2025 and alternates coordinating counter-drug operations with the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard and the US Coast Guard.
