Norfolk cruiser starts deployment with a drug bust

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150313-N-ZY039-029 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 13, 2015) – Gunner’s Mate Seaman Judaya Foster, from Hartford, Conn., fires a .50-caliber mounted rifle aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) during a live-fire exercise. Normandy, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Justin R. DiNiro/ Released)

The Normandy kicked off its world-wide cruise with a drug bust.

The ship, which is operating in the Mediterranean, hauled in more than 1,000 pounds of narcotics March 21.

The ship’s embarked helicopter detachment spotted a small craft acting suspiciously during routine flight operations. The helo, an SH-60 Seahawk with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 4664, followed the boat and spooked the passengers, who were then seen dumping packages of dope over the side, according to a release from 6th Fleet.

The Normandy then launched its small boat and recovered 17 packages from the water, which were tested and confirmed to be narcotics. The release did not specify what kind.

Capt. Scott Robertson, Normandy’s CO, said he was proud of his crew.

“I was incredibly proud to watch my entire ship team spring into action and safely execute this maritime security mission of opportunity.”

Normandy deployed in early March on its way around the globe. The cruiser will transit through the Mediterranean, into the Persian Gulf and the fight with ISIS, through the Pacific Ocean to California, then through the Panama Canal and back to Norfolk later this winter.

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David B. Larter was the naval warfare reporter for Defense News.