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On June 3, 2025, Iranian Soheil Jelveh, 51, a retired marine engineer who was captain of the 'Matthew' while it was carrying more than 2.2 tonnes of cocaine claimed that he feared for his life and his family if he did not follow instructions, a court has heard. He said there was an element of fear on board the vessel, and admitted he was aware that the consignment on the ship was not “spare parts”.He said that he was captain in name but he had to follow orders like everyone else. The non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin was told that he was in fear of being killed and that his family, who were in Dubai, would also be killed and that a number of the crew were hired by a transnational organised crime group for the operation. Jelveh is one of seven men charged with offences arising from the seizure of 2.25 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated value of more than €157 million, which was on board the ship. Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk, and Vitaliy Vlasoi, both 32; Iranians Jelveh and Saeid Hassani, 39; Filipino Harold Estoesta, 31, and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen, 49, all pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply on board the 'Mathew' between Sep 24 and Sep 26, 2023. The Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa, aged 62, with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, pleaded guilty to attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply between Sep 21 and Sep 25, 2023. Jamie Harbron, aged 31, of South Avenue, Billingham in the UK, also pleaded guilty that on a date between September 21st and Sep 25, 2023, both dates inclusive, he attempted to have cocaine in his possession for the purpose of sale or supply, an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Detective Superintendent Keith Halley told the court in Dublin that messages sent to crew members of the MV Matthew told them to consider moving the bags containing drugs on to a lifeboat and then release it into the sea as Irish authorities got closer to the vessel. Ozgen, who was described in court by his barrister Brendan Grehan as having a lack of sea experience, was to go into the lifeboat with 22 tonnes of drugs in “one of the worst storms”. Six men who were arrested on board ignored instructions from the patrol vessel 'LE William Butler Yeats' a number of times. Detective Halley, who was a Revenue Customs liaison for Irish police, gave evidence that the authorities received information about a fishing trawler being used to import drugs, which led to the formation of a joint task force between gardai, the Revenue Customs Service and the Irish Naval Service. Jelveh, a father of two, claimed he felt violated by people in the “head office” who were not present on the vessel, and that there was a threat over him that was not there in relation to his co-accused. Jelveh qualified as a maritime engineer in 1997 and worked as a marine engineer until 2008 and moved through the ranks to became first deck officer. He became captain in 2019. He had since retired and was working as a football coach. Prosecution barrister John Berry SC told the court that the crew had attempted to set the drugs on fire as they attempted to flee Irish authorities and head into the high seas. Messages discovered in a WhatsApp group, called The Deck Officers, revealed how the crew was instructed to be ready to burn the cargo and head towards Sierra Leone if a helicopter tried to intercept the ship. The crew were told to make sure everything was burnt and to use paint thinner to set the cargo alight. They were also ordered by people not on board the vessel not to communicate with Irish authorities. The crew had been ordered by authorities to steer the vessel towards the Irish coast and dock at Cork. The court heard that they were willing to comply with the instructions, however, they were going full steam ahead to the high seas and were planning on travelling to Sierra Leone. The crew had been making efforts to deter the arrival of the Army Ranger Wing to allow for the removal of the drugs. Footage and photographs shown to the court revealed there was smoke coming from the lifeboat after an attempt was made to set the drugs alight. Cans of paint, used to set it on fire, were also found on the life raft. Detective Halley told the court that the people instructing the crew had “immense capabilities, unlimited resources and a global reach”. It became apparent through the message groups that those who were controlling the vessel and sending instructions on what to do were based in Dubai. They had sent messages instructing the crew to keep going, including reassuring messages like “just relax and this will all be over soon”. They also gave the wrong information that Irish authorities could not board the vessel. The sentence hearing is taking place before Ms Justice Melanie Grealy Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone. The sentencing hearing continued on June 4.

On the evening of June 2, 2025, the 'Arctic Mulan' (ex-'Mulan') pulled alongside the Koryak FSU in the Bechevinskaya Bay in Kamchatka. The LNG carrier has been in ballast for the past five months suggesting that it will be receiving cargo from the storage barge. Last week industry insiders had pointed to the recent dash of the 'Arctic Mulan' from the Mediterranean to Koryak in the Far East as an early indication that Novatek’s protracted search to find a buyer for sanctioned gas from Arctic LNG 2 may have concluded. A buyer has possibly been lined up for the sanctions-busting sale, possibly in China, though the destination of the 'Arctic Mulan' has remained unknown. The 'Arctic Mulan' had previously loaded LNG from the Arctic LNG 2 project on Sep 22, 2024, subsequently discharging its cargo into the Saam FSU near Murmansk on Dec 20,. Since then the vessel has idled in the North Sea and subsequently in the Eastern Mediterranean. It began a speedy trip across the Suez Canal, the Indian Ocean, and up towards Kamchatka on May 1. The vessel also received a Northern Sea Route permit on May 28, which was clearing it to sail the Arctic shipping lane between July 1 and Oct 31; a further indication that the vessel could be used for renewed attempts to load at Arctic LNG 2 during the summer. The fellow shadow fleet tanker 'Nova Energy' (ex-'New Energy') may be the next in line to load LNG at Koryak. The tanker has been holding position outside the Bechevinskaya Bay. Unlike other dark fleet vessels, which discharged their cargo into Koryak and the sister barge Saam starting in fall 2024, when no buyers could be found, the 'Nova Energy' has remained loaded with product originally received at Arctic LNG 2 on Oct 2, 2024.

The Pentagon is planning to strip the name 'HArvey Milk' that honors the gay rights icon. and could expand the purge to include other vessels recognizing prominent civil rights figures, defense officials said on June 2, 2025, the latest move by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to impose the Trump administration’s will on America’s culture wars. The renaming news was slated to become public June 13. A new name for the 'Harvey Milk' was not given but Hegseth and Phelan are planning to announce the new name aboard the USS 'Constitution', the oldest commissioned Navy ship. Deliberations were ongoing after a recent order by Hegseth to Navy Secretary John Phelan, with the decision to be announced as soon as mid-June, to coincide with Pride Month, which President Donald Trump has rejected celebrating. It was unclear when — or even if — any other Navy vessels honoring civil rights figures could see their titles changed. Sean Parnell, a spokesman for Hegseth, released a statement acknowledging that a review is underway that could result in the renaming of Defense Department installations and resources. Among them were the USNS 'Thurgood Marshall', USNS 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg', USNS 'Harriet Tubman', USNS 'Dolores Huerta', USNS 'Lucy Stone', USNS 'Cesar Chavez' and USNS 'Medgar Evers'. A web article from the Naval Sea Systems Command from Dec 2024 about the laying of the keel for the future USNS 'Thurgood Marshall' has been deleted. The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream," Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi told in a statement. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that the move was "an utter abomination in terms of the extreme MAGA Republican effort to continue to erase American history, and we're not going to allow it to happen." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Hegseth "should be ashamed of himself and reverse this immediately." Milk became one of the first openly gay elected officials in U.S. history during the 1970s, making him an icon of the nascent gay civil rights movement, and was killed while serving on the board of supervisors in San Francisco. Milk came from a family that had a history of naval service and he was commissioned as an officer in 1951. Milk then served as a diving officer on the submarine rescue ship USS 'Kittiwake' during the Korean War. He left the service as a lieutenant junior grade in 1955 with a "less than honorable" discharge "after being officially questioned about his sexual orientation," according to his official biography. Milk then went on to run for political office in California, winning a seat on the San Francisco board of supervisors in 1977. He was killed in office in 1978 shortly after passing a bill banning housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. His death transformed Milk into an icon in San Francisco and a martyr in the LGBTQ community. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. The USNS 'Harvey Milk' is currently completing maintenance and refit work at a shipyard in Alabama that is expected to wrap up by the end of June.

On the evening of June 2, 2025, the 'Arctic Mulan' (ex-'Mulan') pulled alongside the Koryak FSU in the Bechevinskaya Bay in Kamchatka. The LNG carrier has been in ballast for the past five months suggesting that it will be receiving cargo from the storage barge. Last week industry insiders had pointed to the recent dash of the 'Arctic Mulan' from the Mediterranean to Koryak in the Far East as an early indication that Novatek’s protracted search to find a buyer for sanctioned gas from Arctic LNG 2 may have concluded. A buyer has possibly been lined up for the sanctions-busting sale, possibly in China, though the destination of the 'Arctic Mulan' has remained unknown. The 'Arctic Mulan' had previously loaded LNG from the Arctic LNG 2 project on Sep 22, 2024, subsequently discharging its cargo into the Saam FSU near Murmansk on Dec 20,. Since then the vessel has idled in the North Sea and subsequently in the Eastern Mediterranean. It began a speedy trip across the Suez Canal, the Indian Ocean, and up towards Kamchatka on May 1. The vessel also received a Northern Sea Route permit on May 28, which was clearing it to sail the Arctic shipping lane between July 1 and Oct 31; a further indication that the vessel could be used for renewed attempts to load at Arctic LNG 2 during the summer. The fellow shadow fleet tanker 'Nova Energy' (ex-'New Energy') may be the next in line to load LNG at Koryak. The tanker has been holding position outside the Bechevinskaya Bay. Unlike other dark fleet vessels, which discharged their cargo into Koryak and the sister barge Saam starting in fall 2024, when no buyers could be found, the 'Nova Energy' has remained loaded with product originally received at Arctic LNG 2 on Oct 2, 2024.

The 'Diligence (WMEC 616)' returned to its home port in Pensacola on May 21, 2025, following a 61-day patrol in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, where the crew conducted counter-drug operations and fisheries boardings to enforce U.S. federal law at sea and protect America’s maritime boundary. The 'Diligence' was deployed in support of Joint Interagency Task Force – South (JIATF-S) while underway in the Seventh Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility. The crew worked closely with international and interagency partners to disrupt drug trafficking ventures in the Caribbean Sea and interdicted two separate drug-smuggling vessels, suspected of drug trafficking, and provided logistical support to partners for several additional interdictions. On April 12, the 'Diligence' had interdicted a vessel suspected of drug smuggling. After a pursuit and use of disabling fire, crew members gained control of the go-fast style vessel. After retrieving 28 bales of jettisoned marijuana, the crew of Diligence seized approximately 1,660 pounds of marijuana in total and apprehended the three suspected smugglers on board. On April 23, a military patrol aircraft located a disabled sailing vessel approximately 170 miles off Colombia. The 'Diligence' boarded the vessel and seized approximately 40 pounds of cocaine. During the patrol, the 'Diligence' worked with the Dutch patrol vessel HNLMS 'Groningen (P 843)', U.S. Navy assets, Tactical Law Enforcement Team – Pacific (PACTACLET), and the Coast Guard Cutters 'Campbell (WMEC 909)', 'Venturous (WMEC 625)' and 'John Patterson (WPC 1153)'. While underway in the8 th Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility, the crew conducted fisheries enforcement missions while underway in the Gulf of Mexico. While patrolling near the maritime boundary line near Mexico, law enforcement teams conducted five boardings of U.S. commercial fishing vessels. These inspections ensured compliance with federal safety standards and fishery management regulations, supporting the Coast Guard’s mission to promote safe and sustainable fishing practices.