How an Al Qaeda operation was stopped

We had arrived in the north Arabian Gulf a few days earlier and relieved the USS Higgins as the on scene commander to protect the A Basra Oil Terminal, or ABOT, an oil platform for tankers to pull up to and load Iraqi oil. Our job was to ensure that the platform provided free flowing oil without interruptions from terrorists who did not like the idea that we had taken over Iraq.

Our other job was to conduct Maritime Interdiction Operations or MIO’s on any ship arriving or departing Iraq to ensure that no one was smuggling oil, thereby preventing the newly established Iraqi government from the money they deserve.

The Visit Board Search & Seizure, VBSS, teams were getting into a groove of boarding and searching for these smuggling ships. The VBSS teams consist of six men; one officer, who is the boarding officer, one chief who is his assistant and four other persons who secure the crew and search the vessel.

I had just taken custody of evidence from vessels that were detained under suspicion of smuggling or were seized because they had been found guilty of smuggling. The evidence mainly consisted of crew passports and ship’s documents. I had stayed up late inventorying everything to ensure I received all that was on the chain of custody documents. Then the call came in.

The Captain had announced that we were given other tasking by higher authority to leave the area and head south to the entrance of the Straits of Hormuz. After quick turnovers of responsibilities we had just received, disembarked personnel that were visiting and turned over the evidence I had just accepted, we were on our way south.

No one on the ship knew what we were doing, not even the Captain. But there sure was a lot of speculation; from shooting Tomahawk missiles to escorting the recently captured Saddam Hussein. Again, it was all speculation.

We had arrived at the northern end of the straits in two days. We made over 30 plus knots to get there. While we were getting ready to go through the straits, we had queried a vessel nearby and found out that it was a high interest vessel. Meaning, the U. S. had been looking for the ship, and we found them.

When the team went on board, they began verifying the crew list that the master had. The crew list was incomplete, there were crewmembers on board that were not on the list, and some did not even have passports. A couple of the team members believed that one crew member matched the photo of the FBI’s Most Wanted List of Terrorist. Just by his looks and the way that he acted when handbills were given out. These handbills are U. S. propaganda to catch Usama Bin Laden and other people associated with terrorism. While we were waiting on whether to take or clear the vessel, the message came in – go through the Straits of Hormuz and capture a couple of dhows.

A dhow is a traditional Arab fishing boat. They range from thirty to seventy-five feet in length and can have a freeboard ranging from three to ten feet. Freeboard is the distance from the water’s edge to the top of the vessel. They are painted in colors to reflect a certain family’s heritage. Normally, they will use any and all colors of the rainbow. These dhows are very versatile in their use. They can carry anything from fish to camels to drugs.

A week prior, the USS Decatur captured a dhow and its crew that had approximately $10 million worth of hashish. After the crew was interrogated, it was discovered that the profits from the drugs they were transporting were going to be used in terrorist activities. The interrogations also revealed that two more dhows were getting ready to do the same thing. The same two dhows were called on to take.

After we went through the Straits of Hormuz, we received intelligence by coalition surveillance aircraft from New Zealand, Australia, and the U. S. that the dhows were about 50 miles away. They were seen together proceeding in the same direction at the same speed about a half mile apart from each other. The next day we would take them down.

The two boarding teams prepared their gear, went through refresher training on take-downs, handcuffing and being rescued by the helicopter, should we have to take evasive actions to get off of the dhows. That evening we received our final briefing on how the take down was to take place.

Everyone was at the brief, Captain, Executive officer, both boarding teams, and the pilots who would be covering us. The plan was briefed to have the helicopter launch prior to sunrise and stay far enough away from the dhows so they would not hear, but yet we could watch them using our technology. The ship was then to race to the dhows at flank speed at daybreak. Simultaneously, the helo was to swoop in and cover the farthest dhow while the ship put the RHIB in the water, load one of the teams and take the rear dhow. Once the first team had secured the dhow, the ship would sprint to the second dhow while the helo provided cover fire on the first one. The other RHIB would be put in the water, then load the second team and go after the second dhow.

Everyone at the brief knew that this was a high risk boarding. We were under the assumption that if they were running drugs, they would have weapons. Just as we finished the brief the Captain received a call.

The Captain put the handset down, looked around at everyone and said “Fox News is reporting the takedown we are about to do.” Pandemonium filled the wardroom. The cryptologists ran out of the room to see how much damage was done. The Captain was back on the phone with the Tactical Action Officer, or TAO. A few minutes later, the Captain asked the teams “Are you ready to take them tonight?” A resounding “Yes!!” was heard throughout the wardroom with a few expletives added. The Captain then dismissed us and told us to get ready, while he went to talk to the task force commander and tell hi we were ready to take the dhows, we just needed the word.

I left the wardroom and began getting my equipment together. A couple of times I had to stop what I was doing and take a few deep breaths just to calm my self down. I had a mixture of excitement, adrenaline and fear that I needed to control or I was not going to be of any use to anyone. I got my gear together and was sitting in the chief’s mess when the Captain announced that we would be going at first light, like it was originally planned. The Captain also told us to go to bed and get some rest, for the next day would be a long one.

I put my stuff away, got a shower and went to bed, Normally, I would read a few pages from a book to help me get to sleep. This time, I grabbed my Bible. I have had this Bible since I have been in the Navy. My uncle gave it to me just before I left for basic training. He had my name embossed with gold lettering on the cover and it was small enough I could take it anywhere; and I have. I opened it to the 23rd Psalm and read it a few times. After reading it, I was still a bit nervous about what I was going to do, but I felt comfort in what I was about to do as well. Whenever I had felt low in my life, I would open the Bible and would find relief and find my way again. For 19 years that Bible was my silent friend, and after reading the Bible that night, I felt comforted enough to fall asleep.

The teams were to be ready to go at 5 AM; I had my alarm set for 4 AM, so I could take my time getting ready. At 3:30 AM, I woke up with a pit in my stomach. I have never been faced with such a dangerous obstacle in my life. Fear is what had woken me that morning. I lay in my rack for about 20 minutes going over in my head how the take-down was suppose to happen. I also had frightful scenarios running in my head of the worst possible situations. Scenarios such as taking gun fire as son as we got close to the dhow, or even after the team was on board. I began questioning how my reactions would be to each. Would I be able to react in a way that would save the lives of my team and/or me? I prayed again to be given the strength to do the right thing.

I got out of bed and began to get ready. I shaved and brushed y teeth, going through my normal daily routine, as if it were any other normal day. After getting my uniform on, I got my tactical equipment on. When I got my weapon, I made doubly sure that it worked properly. I made sure that the magazine inserted properly and that the slide raced home and chambered a round before I put it away in my holster. After holstering, I checked out a few more magazines of ammunition, just in case something should go wrong, I did not want to be left without enough bullets.

Once I had all of my gear and weapon on, I went to the fantail and began to pray once again. The pit that was in my stomach when I woke up had grown a few inches in the few hours it took me to get ready. I started chewing on a couple pieces of gum. As soon as I started chewing, I would spit it out and get another piece. One by one, y other team members would filter out onto the fantail. The look of fear and excitement could be seen in their eyes as well. Near daybreak, both teams were assembled and ready to go.

As we approached the two dhows, we began telling each other, “Be safe” and “Come back in one piece”. Just as we were about to climb into the RHIBs, we got word that we would be boarding the farthest dhow first, because intelligence revealed that they could have a couple of grenades and AK-47’s. The chain of command wanted to ensure that the weapons were secured before we went after the other dhow. Since we were going to be taking the farthest dhow first, that meant that I would be going first.

Just as the sun broke at the horizon, the ship steamed at maximum sped past the nearest dhow and bore down on the farthest one. Just as we were passing the nearest dhow every team member on the fantail had their eyes on it. When we sailed past it and were about one thousand yards ahead of it, we noticed that it took a hard ninety degree turn to port, or left, acting as if it were running away. Little did we know at the time, but when the nearest dhow made that hard left turn, they began dumping 800 kilos of drugs that were on board.

The farthest dhow came into view. We noticed that our helicopter had been hovering over the farthest dhow the entire time we were steaming toward them, giving us any last minute intelligence as to whether any weapons were seen. As we got into the RHIB from the port side of the ship, we still had no word as to whether anyone had seen any weapons. The RHIB was loaded and we were on our way.

We banked hard to the left cut across the stern of the ship and accelerated toward the dhow. The seas were a little rough so the trip was not an easy one. The RHIB bounced a couple of times getting to the dhow. As we approached, the linguist that we had on board the ship began speaking to the crew on the dhow in their native language. Shortly, most of the crew was on the foc’sle, or forward part of the dhow, pulling up fishing nets as if to tell us that they are just fishing. The others just held up there hands.

The RHIB motored next to the dhow. We threw over onto the gunnels a portable ladder called a scaling ladder that literally hooked over the edge of the dhow. With that we were able to climb on board the dhow. Again the sea state wan not the best, so when the first team member reached for the ladder, he lost his footing and was literally hanging over the side of the dhow. Two members were helping him get on board while the rest of us kept an eye on the crew. After some clamoring, he finally made it on. With the RHIB bobbing up and down with the swells, we all were able to time it to jump on board without the ladder.

Once we got onboard, every one of us drew our weapon and proceeded to the front of the dhow. With adrenaline coursing through our veins at an intoxicating level, each of us began shouting at them, “Get down! Get down! Get your ass down on the deck now!” Of course there were other expletive thrown out there, I just can not put them in this piece. Along the way, each of us trained our weapon on every opening that there were on that dhow. There were three holds. The one up forward where the crew was sitting, one just in front of the engine compartment and the third was aft where it appeared most of the cooking stores were kept and where most of the cooking was done.

A couple of the team members took the pilot of the vessel out of the bridge and took over navigating the vessel. The pilot along with the other crew members wee then subsequently handcuffed and searched. A total of 11 crew members were on board. Within 10 minutes both dhows were under the control of our teams. Not one person was severely injured, nor was there any shots fired. At total of 25 people were detained while we searched the vessels.

Once the crews were secured, we began our search of the vessel. A couple of the team members started searching the forward hold. They had found about 10 bags that had what looked like rock salt, rock sugar, or methamphetamines. Of course, every time they would go into the holds, the stench of rotting food, stale cigarette smoke, body odor and stagnant air, coupled with the elevated sea state would wreak havoc on their stomachs. Every 10 minutes they would come up for air, or would wait too long and would find themselves with their heads hanging over the side. Even a seasoned 26 year veteran was sea sick. He blamed it on the heat of the engine room, the adrenaline and no air movement. He was too proud to admit that he too was sea sick.

While we were still searching the vessel I was on, we got word that the other boarding team found what might be heroin. Also they found bags that had tested positive for amphetamines. I was requested on the dhow to verify that the tests that they conducted were accurate. Shortly, the RHIB was alongside waiting to pick me up and deliver me to the other dhow.

When I get to the other dhow, which was a little bigger and taller than the one that I helped take down, I noticed that most of the team there were green as well. Apparently, it was not just the head and adrenaline. These vessels bob around like a cork especially when there is nothing on them. After doing my own tests of what the other team found, I confirmed that it was an amphetamine substance.

After about six hours of searching and piloting theses dhows, we got the word from our bosses to bring the crew onto our ship to be detained until they were interviewed by agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We began getting the crew members ready for their transport to the ship.

The electronics technicians on board the ship are responsible for fixing radars and guidance systems. Some of these radars and guidance systems are on our mast. In order for the technicians to climb the mast, they must wear a harness that secures the individual to the mast. In the event that they would lose their footing, they would not fall of the mast, only be suspended until help arrived.

Since these detainees were handcuffed, we had to put them in these harnesses. On the back of the harness is a ring that a safety clip can be attached. Once the detainees were put in the harness and life preserve, we attached a safety clip which was connected to rappelling line to the harness. We then would place the detainee over the ledge of the dhow and lower him onto the RHIB.

The RHIB would take us back to the ship where our other RHIB was lowered to the water’s edge. The detainees were then transferred to the “elevator” RHIB so that they could be raised to the ship’s main deck. Once on deck, the detainees were met by two armed escorts. The detainees were taken to the fantail where they were stripped of their clothing, inspected by medical personnel, given a shower (boy, did they stink!!) and placed in coveralls where a number was taped on their back. We did not know any of their names, only their numbers. Once the detainees were inspected, cleaned, and clothed, they were escorted to one of the breaks, or covered areas of the weather decks where blankets were provided, along with armed guards. They did not have any access to the inside of the ship. We did not want them to. Anywhere they went, there were two armed guards with them at all times…even to go to the bathroom.

We even went as far as having a three “stall” toilet made. It was three feet wide, four feet long, and two feet high. There were three holes cut out of the top and toilet seats were installed. A two and a half inch hose was attached to one side, which was fed from our fire main system, acting as the flushing water, and another two and a half inch hose on the other side of the “stall” and draped over the side of the ship so that the waste could be deposited overboard.

We would provide them three hot meals a day, a shower every other day and nothing else. After the first day, they started complaining of minor aches and pains; ailments such as headaches, back aches, and even one case of a hernia. A lot of their problems were brought on by the lack of hashish. We found a personal stash in almost everyone’s baggage or on their body.

One detainee, that we called ‘George’, was so dependant of it that he was going through some serious withdrawals. Whenever he was given his twenty minute break he would pace the fantail at a high rate of speed. Every chance he got, he would squat on the toilet and attempt to poop. Then he would go to one of the guards telling them that he is pooping blood. One day after all of the detainees were secured in the break, I went and looked. There were no signs that he even pooped, let alone the fact that he pooped blood. It was just a ruse for him to get more drugs. We had our corpsman provide minor medication to the detainees that had medical complaints. Once ‘George’ took the aspirin, he was fine for a few hours.

We came up with a few nicknames for some of the detainees. The reason we called the one detainee ‘George’ because he looked like an Arab George Jefferson. He had the bald head and agitated look, only he was agitated because he was either missing his hash or that we were holding him. The other detainee names that we came up with were ‘Papa Smurf, the Gladiator, and Blue’. ‘Papa Smurf’ was this old portly guy that was only about five foot four inches tall and a full beard that was snow white. ‘The Gladiator’ was named for his resemblance of the slave trader in the movie “Gladiator”. Nobody could remember his name in the movie so they just named him ‘The Gladiator’. He would walk around the fantail during his break acting as if he was in control, hands clasped behind his back and his head up in a manner to portray that he was the king and we were his minions. ‘Blue’ was another old guy, about five foot ten inches tall, 100 pounds soaking wet. I do not have large hands, but when I grabbed his upper arm, I could make a fist. His hair was cut short and had a trimmed beard and mustache, all of which was also snow white. The guards came up with the nickname ‘Blue’ based on the movie “Old School” that had the old guy, “Blue”, trying to get into the fraternity. All of them were called ‘Hajjis’. I know that it is a derogatory slur toward Arabs, but after dealing with these guys, I do not mind calling them “Hajji”. They were almost to a point of being demanding of food, medication, or cigarettes, until we got rude with them and made them realize who was in control.

Since we had the crews of the two dhows, we had to maintain control of the vessels until it was determined what was to be done with them. So “prize crews” were set up to navigate these vessels through the Red Sea until we arrived off the coast of Oman. The prize crews consisted of an officer, chief, engineer, deck seaman and a navigator. They would spend twenty-four hours on the dhows driving and maintaining the engine to keep them motoring at a swift six knots through the open ocean. Two crews were set up so that they could e changed out every day. Duty on the dhow was not the most glamorous job, but to some of them, it was adventurous.

Two days before Christmas I woke up from the first night of sleep in a week. Since I was up for about thirty-six hours straight the two days before, the officers forced me to go to sleep that night. I met another chief in the mess while I was getting coffee. I tell him “Good Morning.” He looks at me and says “One of the dhows is sinking.” I nearly dropped my coffee cup. He told me that around three in the morning the ship got a call from the dhow saying that they had lost electricity and were taking on water. The bilge pumps that were on board had burnt out trying to keep up with the water coming in from the shaft seal. The engineer, who has over 20 years in the Navy, said that he could keep it running until morning, but not for much longer than that.

I ran up to the weather deck and noticed the dhow that I was a part of securing had a severe port list to it. The rough weather was not helping matters either. While I am watching the dhow lean more to the left with each swell, I am summoned to the bridge to meet with the Captain and Executive Officer.

They ask me if it is possible to get on board the sinking dhow and retrieve a sample of the evidence that was found. My first question was how long the vessel was going to be afloat. It was determined that I had enough time to get onboard and collect a sample. I collected a pair of latex gloves and Ziploc bags and climbed into the RHIB.

The closer we got to the dhow the more of a list I observed. Once we got close, I put on the latex gloves, so I did not spend any more time on there than necessary. Once the RHIB was alongside and the swells were timed, I jumped on board while the prize crew started throwing items off the dhow. Things like blankets, cots and fire extinguishers. When I got on board, I noticed the deck was slick with diesel fuel which made it difficult to get around. Behind the pilot house was a hole in the deck that led to the aft hold. A cover was on it to prevent anyone from falling in. I lifted the lid and threw it out of the way. I then climbed down into the hold and found the barrel of the crystalline substance that was suspected to be methamphetamine. I grabbed a handful and stuffed it into the Ziploc bag. I then scampered out of the hold and was back o board the RHIB in a matter of three minutes. Fear is a strong motivator.

Once I got back on board the ship, the NCIS agents wanted to know if I could get some samples from the forward hold that had the fifty pound bags of the same substance. Again, in conferred with the engineer on the dhow and asked him if I had time to do so. He told me that he would make the time. The Captain and Executive Officer required that two other people went with e as safety observers while I was in the hold. So back on the RHIB I went. This time the engineer went with me. The officer that is on my boarding team and a photographer whose job was to take pictures of the area where we located the stash went with me.

As soon as I got onboard, I went straight for the hold. When I got there, I pulled out my knife and sliced through the sides of the bags. I then grabbed a handful of stuff and threw it in a Ziploc bag. I would hand the baggie off as I sliced through another suspected bag. I was able to get samples from every bag that was stored in the forward hold. I even got a sample of a powder that no one had found on the earlier searches. After getting all of the samples that I needed, we then removed the rest of our equipment that was left on board, and left the dhow, Al Khaneen, for the last time.

The ship called the group commander and received permission to sink the dhow, since it was now a hazard to navigation. We manned every gun, .50 caliber machine gun, 25 millimeter chain gun, GAU-17 that fires 7.62 rounds at a rate of about 2000 rounds a minute. It looks like a mini-gatlin gun. Even our helicopter got involved. It was also outfitted with a .50 cal machine gun.

The helicopter strafed the dhow a few times then flew out of the way, because all hell was going to break loose – it was the ship’s turn. The Captain fired first, using the M14 rifle. He landed about a dozen rounds into the dhow, not really doing any significant damage, but at least he released some aggression. Shortly, every weapon that was trained on the dhow commenced fire. With a few incendiary rounds from the 25 mm hitting the barrels filled with diesel fuel, a few large explosions rocked the dhow. It was surreal; the explosion looked as if it was in a movie. You never really think that plumes of smoke and fire rise from its origin, but it does. For about 10 minutes all of the rounds were expended on the dhow and it was engulfed in flames. About thirty minutes later, the dhow finally sank. With them being made out of logs that are about one foot by one foot running its full length, it took a lot for that dhow to sink.

The NCIS agents had the detainees moved to a spot on the ship that they could see the fireworks, and still be out of the way. The guards were telling me that when everything was let loose, they just turned away and bowed their heads, almost in defeat. The agents had them watch the sinking as a type of psychological warfare so that they would be convinced to tell the truth, or the same result would happen to their dhow.

The NCIS agents came on board about a day after we seized the vessels. They began their interviews and it was determined that nine of the detainees had the exact same story. There were no variations at all. Any investigator knows that if you have true statements from individuals, you will have some variation to the same story. That is due to each individual having their own perspective of the same incident. Those boobs from NCIS thought that since they had nine identical stories, they must be telling the truth. Right. After they did their initial interviews, the agents wanted to go to the remaining dhow and search it themselves, to see if they could find anything that we may have overlooked.

We all loaded into the RHIB and went to the dhow. It was Christmas Eve. When we climbed on board the dhow, we were greeted with a handwritten sign on a piece of cardboard “Merry Christmas from the Crew of the Rumrunner.” The prize crew christened the dhow “Rumrunner” the first day that we had control of it. The name just stuck.

Once we got on board, I showed the agents where the suspect substances were located. We climbed down the makeshift ladder to the aft hold of the dhow. I began showing them the large bags that I had tested and other paraphernalia that was suspect in running drugs, such as about one hundred empty feed bags. I left the agents in the hold while I began searching the sleeping area that was behind the pilot house. During one of the initial searches a cell phone was found that did not have a SIM card or a card that programs the phone and we were still looking for it.

I had pulled out the luggage that was in the sleeping areas when I noticed the agents coming out of the hold. I had asked them if they got what they needed and whether they had found anything else. They were short with their answers because, as I would later find out, they both got seasick. With a smirk on my face, I continued to search. Every once in a while I would see one of the agents leaning over the aft end of the dhow, back arched letting out a noise that compared to a cat’s tail being stepped on. In between yacks, the agent would sit on a bench nearby and pray that he would stop puking or die, which ever was fastest. Shortly, we completed the search and went back to the ship.

Based on the interviews that the agents conducted, they wanted to take a few of the detainees to another ship so that they could be transferred someplace that had an interpreter that was trained in the specific language that the detainees spoke. The linguists that we had spoke Arabic, and a few of the detainees spoke broken Arabic, so some information may have been lost in the translation. Once the chosen detainees were taken to the other ship, they began singing like birds.
It was later discovered that one of the detainees that was taken was the master of the vessel and he was in fear for his life as well as his families. The drug lord was still being held on our ship. Now that he was away from him, he felt more comfortable in telling the truth. The next day, I get word to prepare six more detainees for transit to the other ship. After the six were transported and interviewed, a couple of more were requested for interviews.

After the NCIS agents and the linguist spent a day on the other ship, the real truth came out. One detainee broke and went as far as telling the agents where the SIM card for the cell phone was hidden. It was taped to the back end of the magnetic compass that we were using for navigation. It was literally under our noses all along.

A couple of days later we turned over the dhow and remaining detainees to the Oman Police. While our Captain and the Oman Police Officer handled the details of turning over everything other Omani Police Officer came on board to determine how seaworthy the dhow was. When they were checking out the engine compartment, they found another four bags of a white powdery substance. An Omani looked at one of the gas and determined it to be heroin. After all the paperwork was signed the vessel, contents and detainees were now the responsibility of the Omani Police Department.

Finally, it was all over. We had captured the dhows, held the detainees and turned them over within a week. What a tiring week. I was standing watch for eight hours of the days broken up to whereas I was standing four hours on, eight hours off. Unfortunately, most of the eight hours off were utilized in helping the NCIS agents do their job. But, it was well worth it. We were able to prevent over tens of millions of dollars to be funneled to Al Qaeda. I am sure that there are a lot more dhows out there moving more drugs. But, now I do not feel as helpless in catching the bastard that caused the tragedies that occurred on September 11, 2001. We may not have caught Bin Laden himself, but I bet he is cussing us out right now for slowing his progress.

For nearly twenty years I have had a humble career. I did not do anything that would make me stand out. I really did not want to be recognized. After doing that, at least I feel that my career was worth it.