Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ville de Quebec departed Halifax today on Operation Caribbe, Canada’s continuing commitment to the multinational effort to suppress illicit narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean Sea.

During the deployment, the Halifax-class frigate and her crew of approximately 220 personnel will work with the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard and other regional partners to locate and track vessels of interest.

The trafficking of illicit narcotics is a significant source of revenue for organized crime and a growing threat to global security. Operation Caribbe is one of the many activities that the Government of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) undertake as part of Canada’s broad focus and ongoing engagement in the Americas and the Caribbean.

This annual operation directly supports the CAF’s mission to defend against threats and security challenges to Canada and North America. The CAF has deployed a periodic rotation of warships as well as CP-140 Aurora aircraft from both East and West Coasts since 2006 to ensure continuous support to this operation.