A U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser seized an illicit shipment of weapons so large that it nearly covered the entire rear of the ship.
Military members aboard the USS Monterey nabbed the weapons from a stateless dhow late last week in international waters of the North Arabian Sea.
The ship's embarked U.S. Coast Guard Advanced Interdiction Team found the cargo during a "routine flag verification boarding" done under international law, according to the Navy.
"The cache of weapons included dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles, thousands of Chinese Type 56 assault rifles, and hundreds of PKM machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades launchers," the Navy wrote in a news release. "Other weapon components included advanced optical sights."
Authorities are currently investigating the source and destination of the illicit cargo.
"After all illicit cargo was removed, the dhow was assessed for seaworthiness, and after questioning, its crew was provided food and water before being released," the Navy said.
U.S. military ships regularly patrol the North Arabian Sea in what the Navy describes as an effort to promote the free flow of commerce, disrupt the transportation of illegal cargo that could be used for terrorism and to "safeguard the rules-based international order."
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