Around two tonnes of cocaine have been seized from a boat intercepted at sea by the Royal Navy and the Border Force. The ocean-going tug MV Hamal was intercepted by the frigate HMS Somerset and Border Force cutter Valiant about 100 miles east of the Aberdeenshire coast. French customs said in a statement it tipped off British authorities 'to board a tug 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Scotland carrying a very large quantity of cocaine, more than two tonnes' on Thursday, it said in a statement. The ocean-going tug MV Hamal was intercepted by the frigate HMS Somerset and Border Force cutter Valiant about 100 miles east of the Aberdeenshire coast . The crew of the Hamal, nine men aged between 26 and 63, were detained for questioning by investigators from the National Crime Agency's Border Policing Command, and later charged with drug trafficking offences . It was accompanied to Aberdeen where a full search was carried out. The value of the cocaine is likely to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds, depending on its purity. The crew of the Hamal, nine men aged between 26 and 63, were detained for questioning by investigators from the National Crime Agency's Border Policing Command, and later charged with drug trafficking offences. They remain in custody and are due to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Monday. The joint operation also involved the National Crime Agency (NCA). John McGowan, from the NCA's Border Policing Command, based at the Scottish Crime Campus, Gartcosh, said: 'This is a potentially significant seizure of illegal drugs, only made possible by the co-operation between ourselves, Border Force, the Royal Navy and our international partners. 'The ongoing NCA investigation is being supported by Police Scotland.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
The ocean-going tug MV Hamal was intercepted by HMS Somerset and Border Force vessel about 100 miles east of the Aberdeenshire coast .
Value of the cocaine is likely to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds .
Crew of the Hamal, nine men aged between 26 and 63, were detained .