Indian agencies on Wednesday made their highest-ever narcotics bust from the sea as they seized 3,300 kg drugs, which sailed from an Iranian port, off the Gujarat coast, and arrested five foreigners from a dhow.
The cache could be worth anything between Rs 1,300-Rs 2,000 crore in the international market, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director General S N Pradhan said.
Home Minister Amit Shah called the joint operation by the Navy, NCB and the Gujarat Police a “historic success” and a testament of his government’s “unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free”.
The unregistered fishing boat was intercepted on Tuesday morning at the Arabian Sea from a point about 60 nautical miles from the Indian coast and along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The Navy deployed its P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft and marine commandos onboard a warship apart from helicopters.
About 3,300 kg of contraband including 3,110 kg charas or Hashish, 158.3 kg of crystal Methamphetamine and 24.6 kg of suspected heroin has been recovered from packets that bore the stamp of ‘Ras Awad Goods Co, produce of Pakistan’, the NCB said.
There is no standard for calculating the value of drugs as it varies depending on volume, quality, region and demand and supply links. However, rough estimates peg the international price of Hashish at Rs 5-10 lakh per kg and meth (Methamphetamine) and heroin at Rs 2-5 crore per kg, according to the NCB.
The source of the drugs is found to be the Chabahar Port in Iran, the agency said.
“This is the biggest offshore narcotics seizure made in the country till date. We have seen that drug smuggling has increased through the maritime route over the last few years and hence we are jointly working with other government agencies like the Navy, Coast Guard, Customs etc. to intercept such activities,” Pradhan said.
“The smugglers and drug operators use the Arabian Sea to exploit the Indian coastline that is vulnerable. It is part of the grand design to destabilise the country using drugs,” Pradhan said.
The last big seizure from the high seas was of 2,500 kg by the NCB and the Navy off the Kerala coast in May, 2023.
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