Arabian Sea (Aug. 2, 2002) -- Sailors from the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Hopper (DDG 70) homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and members of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 106 homeported in San Diego, Calif., prepare to board a merchant vessel suspected of smuggling oil out of Iraq. LEDET-106 is currently assigned enforcement tasks aboard USS Hopper. Boarding teams have been conducting Maritime Interception Operations (MIO) searching for contraband cargo aboard merchant ships in the area to support UN sanctions against Iraq. MIO is a coalition effort that enforces United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) imposed against the government of Iraq following the 1991 gulf war. The United Nations prohibits cargo originating from Iraq and any imports not accompanied by a U.N. authorization letter. USS Hopper is currently on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographerâs Mate Johnny R.Wilson. (RELEASED)
