Navy frigate seizes whopping heroin haul

Australian naval officers deployed to the Middle East have seized 414 kilograms of heroin and dumped the drugs at sea.

Crew members aboard a Seahawk chopper found the drugs after intercepting a smuggling vessel in the Western Indian Ocean.

The HMAS Warramunga has seized and disposed 11.5 tonnes of hashish and 1.5 tonnes of heroin from seven vessels since deploying to the Middle East in November.

"As a result of this latest seizure, Warramunga has now taken more than $1 billion of narcotics out of circulation," Commander Dugald Clelland said on Saturday.

"Meaning the funds raised from this sale are no longer available for use by terrorist organisations around the world."