New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard, in a joint operation with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), has seized 526 kg of methamphetamine and heroin worth more than ₹3,000 crore in the international market from an Iranian boat in the Arabian Sea. Five Pakistani nationals operating the vessel were detained, the Coast Guard said on Wednesday.
How the Operation Unfolded
Acting on intelligence inputs, Coast Guard ships and aircraft carried out sea-air surveillance and tracked the suspicious Iranian dhow before launching a hot pursuit and boarding it west of Lakshadweep on September 25, the Coast Guard said in a statement. The seized contraband comprised high-grade methamphetamine and heroin.
Investigation
The drugs, the vessel and the five suspects were brought to Mumbai port by the Coast Guard. The Gujarat ATS, Coast Guard, Narcotics Control Bureau and other central investigative agencies are expected to jointly interrogate the suspects. According to one report, it is the Gujarat ATS's largest-ever operation against an international drug trafficking syndicate.
The Coast Guard said the seizure would help disrupt the financial networks of international drug syndicates and prevent synthetic drugs from reaching the mainland.
A Pattern of Sea Seizures
The Coast Guard and Gujarat ATS have carried out a series of joint operations in recent years targeting narcotics smuggling routes through the Arabian Sea, many of them involving boats with Pakistani or Iranian crews.
Sources
Indian Coast Guard statement; PTI (via The Tribune and Outlook India); The Federal; Gujarat Samachar.