Suspected traffickers arrested in Red Sea
A PORTSMOUTH-based warship has dealt a huge blow to a gang of human traffickers after foiling an attempt to smuggle human cargo into Yemen.
During the day the Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond covertly tracked two suspicious dhows in the Red Sea, as they headed back to Somalia.
Under cover of darkness, the Richmond, which will stay in the region until the end of the month, intercepted the boats and arrested 13 suspected smugglers.
Commanding officer Commander Piers Hurrell, said: 'Monitoring the suspected smuggling vessels from afar using the ship's tracking capabilities we could clearly see some suspicious activity under way.
'Using the stealth features, suspected human smugglers were arrested and two vessels seized. The message this sends to others involved in this illegal activity is quite clear.'
According to the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees nearly 25,000 refugees made the journey from war-torn Somalia to Yemen in 2007 and there have been more than 1,000 recorded deaths.
The Royal Navy, United States and German navies are working with the Yemeni government to combat piracy and deter human trafficking.
HMS Richmond recently arrived in the Red Sea after conducting a successful detail in the Northern Arabian Gulf protecting the Iraqi oil platforms from terrorist attack.
