A Pakistani boat carrying about 86 kilos of heroin worth INR 6.02 billion, which was bound for Sri Lanka, has been seized by Indian Anti-Narcotic officials.
According to Indian media NDTV, the haul of heroin was to be transported to Sri Lanka through a Tamil Nadu-based drug cartel but was seized off the Gujarat coast with the boat’s crew of 14 being arrested by Indian Anti-Narcotic officials.
“In a breathtaking overnight operation, the Indian Coast Guard undertook an intelligence-based anti-narcotics operation at sea. Approx 86 kg of narcotics worth ₹ 600 crore has been apprehended along with 14 crew from the Pakistani boat,” the Coast Guard said in a press release.
The agency deployed ships and aircraft on concurrent missions to ensure the efficiency of the operation. One of the key vessels involved in the operation was the Coast Guard ship Rajratan, which had officials from both the NCB and ATS on board.
Despite attempts by the suspected drug-laden boat to evade capture, the vigilant ship successfully identified and intercepted it. A specialized team from the ship conducted a thorough search, confirming the presence of drugs onboard.
“No amount of evasive manoeuvring tactics employed by the drug-laden boat could save it from the swift and strong ICG ship Rajratan. Ship’s specialist team embarked on the suspect boat and after thorough checks, confirmed the presence of the sizeable amount of narcotics,” the Coast Guard said.
The seized Pakistani boat, along with its crew, is being transported to Porbandar for further investigation. (Newswire/ NDTV)
Anti #Narco #Operations @IndiaCoastGuard Ship Rajratan with #ATS #Gujarat & #NCB @narcoticsbureau in an overnight sea – air coordinated joint ops apprehends #Pakistani boat in Arabian Sea, West of #Porbandar with 14 Pak crew & @86 Kg contraband worth approx ₹ 600Cr in… pic.twitter.com/N49LfrYLzz
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) April 28, 2024