Royal Navy seizes 1.25 TONNES of cocaine worth £60million from speedboat in the Caribbean Crew of Royal Fleet Auxiliary Naval Support Ship involved in drugs bust Haul of 1.25 tonnes had a UK wholesale value of more than £60million Boat suspected of smuggling was stopped south of the Dominican Republic Suspected smugglers were seen throwing bales of drugs overboard 45 bales of cocaine were recovered from the surrounding water Drugs and detainees handed over to US Authorities near Puerto Rico More than a tonne of cocaine worth £60million has been seized from a speedboat in the Caribbean in an operation involving the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence said today. The 1.25 tonnes of the Class A drug seized last week had a UK wholesale value of more than £60million, but the street value would have topped £300million. The crew of Royal Fleet Auxiliary Naval Support Ship RFA Wave Knight, along with a US Coast Guard patrol aircraft, forced a speedboat suspected of drug smuggling to stop in international waters south of the Dominican Republic during the night of January 22. Haul: More than a tonne of cocaine worth £60million was recovered from a speedboat in the Caribbean in an operation involving the Royal Navy Operation: The crew of Royal Fleet Auxiliary Naval Support Ship RFA Wave Knight forced a speedboat suspected of drug smuggling to stop in international waters south of the Dominican Republic Seized: Wave Knight then launched its own small boat with a US Coast Guard team to board and question the suspects The US Coast Guard helicopter fired warning shots in an attempt to get the boat to stop but when the suspected smugglers were observed throwing the bales of drugs overboard the decision was made to use disabling fire, the MoD said. Wave Knight then launched its own small boat with a US Coast Guard team to board and question the suspects. A second boat from Wave Knight, which frequently docks at Devonport in Plymouth, recovered 45 bales of cocaine which had been thrown overboard into the water nearby. Desperation: The suspected smugglers were seen throwing the bales of drugs overboard Mission: A second boat from Wave Knight recovered 45 bales of cocaine which had been hurled into the water nearby Bust: Four people were detained on board, and both the cocaine and detainees were handed over to the US authorities off the coast of Puerto Rico Four people were detained on board, and both the cocaine and detainees were handed over to the US authorities off the coast of Puerto Rico. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: 'Once again the Royal Navy have played a key role in the international mission to tackle the drugs trade from the Caribbean. The crew of RFA Wave Knight should be proud of their role in seizing such a massive amount of drugs, made more impressive as it is their second successful operation within a month. Value: The 1.25 tonnes of the Class A drug had a UK wholesale value of more than £60 million, but the street value would have topped £300million Cargo: The bales of cocaine seized, on the deck of RFA Wave Knight Proud moment: Coast Guard Petty Officer Crystalynn Kneen takes a photo of the US Coast Guard crew involved in the mission Stash: The US Coast Guard offloads the cocaine at the Coast Guard Base in Miami Beach, Florida Heavy load: Coast Guard officer unload the cocaine at their Miami headquarters