Prince William's role in '£40 million' drugs bust during military role that saw him experience 'danger'
William had an extensive military careerPrince William was once involved in a £40 million drugs bust during his time in the military.
The incident, which saw the Prince of Wales, 41, experience real “danger”, took place back in 2008.
Prince William’s role in £40m drugs bust
17 years ago, Prince William was serving with the Royal Navy on a two-month attachment on board the HMS Iron Duke.
The now heir to the throne, who was 26 years old at the time, along with five other Navy personnel, intercepted a vessel that was attempting to smuggle 900kg of cocaine in the Atlantic, north east of Barbados.
The drug haul was worth £40 million at the time, which is worth around £60 million now.
This is a fantastic start to HMS Iron Duke’s North Atlantic deployment.
The bust happened when William was on the HMS Iron Duke’s Lynx helicopter. The helicopter was tasked with monitoring speedboats off the coast of Barbados that were attempting to smuggle drugs to West Africa or Europe.
On the occasion of the bust, a speedboat suspected of smuggling drugs was spotted by the crew. The crew on this occasion included William, a pilot and a sniper. The boat was ordered to stop.
It was then boarded by US Coast Guard officials on board the British frigate HMS Iron Duke, who uncovered the drugs. The smugglers were then detained.
Prince William involved in major drug bust
The Prince of Wales had only been deployed for a week when the bust took place.
Ship Commander Mark Newland told The Guardian at the time: “This is a fantastic start to HMS Iron Duke’s North Atlantic deployment.
“To have had a direct impact on the flow of cocaine into Europe just four days after we arrived in theatre shows the benefit the Royal Navy can have in the area of maritime security and counter-drug operations,” he continued.
According to royal author Penny Junor, William’s deployment with the HMS Iron Duke saw him experience “a lot of excitement and a lot of danger”.
‘I’m glad it’s still being talked about’
In 2020, William briefly mentioned the drug bust during a meeting with LPT (leading physical trainer) Damon Bell. LPT Bell was serving on the British frigate HMS Montrose in the Gulf at the time.
During a Zoom call, Bell referred to the HMS Montrose’s £20m drugs seizure in the Middle East.
He joked that it wasn’t half the amount of the bust made by William years prior.
“I wasn’t going to bring that up, Damon, but I am glad it’s still being talked about,” William replied.
William’s military career
William’s military career began in 2006 when he joined Sandhurst as an Officer Cadet.
He was briefly considered for frontline duty, with Queen Elizabeth II even supportive of the prospect.
However, due to William being second-in-line to the throne at the time, it was considered too risky for him and those serving around him.
Instead, William had roles in the RAF and the Royal Navy.
As an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, he participated in 156 search and rescue missions, which resulted in 149 people being saved. He left the RAF in 2013.
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