HMCS Summerside back in Halifax after anti-drug operation in Caribbean

HALIFAX -- HMCS Summerside has returned to Halifax after an anti-narcotics mission in the Caribbean.

The Kingston-class defence vessel was involved in the seizure of almost 700 kilograms of cocaine while on patrol in the region last month.

The ship was part of the ongoing multinational mission to disrupt illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Summerside returns under the command of Lt.-Cmdr. Paul Smith, who was appointed in 2014 as the first black commanding officer of a Royal Canadian Navy warship.

The ship helped in the seizure of 16 bales of cocaine off Nicaragua.

Last month, it was joined by HMCS Saskatoon, which seized 10 bales of cocaine off the Central American coast.