A Royal Navy warship that recently stopped into Bermuda has seized $35 million worth of cocaine in the Caribbean.

HMS Argyll was on Island last month for three days as she began a counter-narcotics deployment in the Atlantic and Caribbean basis.

The crew captured more than 1,300lb of the drug after chasing a drug-running speedboat for 12 hours.

The ship was deployed to intercept the suspicious looking vessel after it had been spotted by a Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

Once she closed on the boat, Argyll launched her on-board Lynx helicopter to confirm suspicions, before sending her sea boats across to capture the crew and contraband.

Five people on board were detained on HMS Argyll and handed over to the US authorities on Friday, the Navy said.

“The Royal Navy has a hard-earned record of tackling illegal drugs smuggling and we should be extremely proud that HMS Argyll has been involved in a dramatic and very successful operation to disrupt the supply,” Mark Francois, Minister for the Armed Forces, said.

“The operations showed tenacity and professionalism.”

HMS Argyll was also in Bermuda at the end of August, 2013.