A Royal Navy ship connected to the county was involved in a £24milllion drugs bust in the Carribean.

The HMS Medway, which is named after the Kent river, was involved in a tense chase with a vessel carrying 400kg of cocaine near the Dominican Republic earlier this week.

With the help of a patrol aircraft and the US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, the vessel was boarded and millions of pounds worth of drugs in large packages were seized.

Three crew members were also arrested.

The boat contained several large packages confirmed to be cocaine before the seizure, which were brought aboard the warship.

It’s believed the boat had come from South America, a common route taken by smugglers at this time of year.

After an overnight operation to secure the contraband and detain the crew, the vessel was sunk by Medway’s gunnery team to ensure it can no longer be used for illegal activity.

Commanding officer of the Medway Chris Hollingworth said: “To secure an interdiction on our first day dedicated to this type of operation in this period has been tremendous.

“Everyone involved demonstrated their professionalism during a challenging pursuit.

"It might be the first, but we’re going to make sure that it won’t be the last, and I speak on behalf of everyone here in saying this has galvanised our determination to succeed.”

One coastguard officer, who didn't want to be named, explained: “Although we talk of these boats being commonplace in the Caribbean, that doesn’t in any way diminish the achievement of landing a bust like this.

“Together with our partners on board Medway and up in the skies above us, we’re able to smash a hole in the supply chain and disrupt the movement of these harmful drugs before they have the chance to harm people at home and abroad.”

HMS Medway recently helped the people of the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos in their recovery efforts following Hurricanes Ian and Fiona.

“It’s a perfect example of Medway’s versatility, and demonstrates my team’s ability to shift from Disaster Relief Operations to Counter Illicit Trafficking Operations without missing a beat,” added Cdr Hollingworth.

“I’m exceptionally proud of the collective effort of my ship’s company and our colleagues from the US Coast Guard for their proactive attitude and total commitment to the task.”