Drugs worth Rs 3,000 crore seized near Lakshadweep; five detained

Ahmedabad, Sep 30 (PTI) The Indian Coast Guard, in a joint operation with the Gujarat ATS, has seized 526 kilograms of methamphetamine and heroin valued at more than Rs 3,000 crore from an Iranian boat in the Arabian Sea near Lakshadweep, officials said on Wednesday.

Five Pakistani nationals operating the vessel were also detained in the operation that was carried out on September 25, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Based on intelligence inputs, Coast Guard assets carried out sea-air surveillance and tracked the suspicious dhow before launching a hot pursuit and boarding it west of Lakshadweep, it said.

The seized contraband comprised high-grade methamphetamine and heroin, the Coast Guard said. The vessel, its crew and the seized drugs were brought to Mumbai under armed escort for joint interrogation and further legal proceedings, it said.

Addressing a press conference here, Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sunil Joshi, said the operation was launched based on intelligence inputs about a consignment being smuggled from Iran into India via sea route.

As per the preliminary investigation, the contraband was supposed to land on the Tamil Nadu coast after taking delivery mid-sea.

The suspected Iranian boat, identified as 'Azad', was intercepted on the evening of September 25, around 160 nautical miles northwest of Lakshadweep and about 490 nautical miles southwest of Mumbai, Joshi said.

The Coast Guard carried out sea-air surveillance and tracked the suspicious vessel based on actionable intelligence shared by the Gujarat ATS and central intelligence agencies, Joshi told reporters.

The intelligence indicated that a Nigerian national had recently met a wanted Gujarat-based accused and they had planned to smuggle more than 500 kg of methamphetamine and heroin from Iran into India, he said.

Advance funds for the operation were allegedly routed through hawala channels, while the smugglers planned to avoid the Gujarat coastline and offload the consignment at sea, he said.

"It emerged from subsequent investigation that this boat was set to approach from waters near Lakshadweep and Mumbai to offload the delivery onto another boat from Tamil Nadu mid-sea," Joshi said.

Following the intelligence input, an operational team comprising Gujarat ATS officers was deployed aboard an Indian Coast Guard ship.

The operation began on September 14 and continued for around 10 days before the vessel was intercepted, he said.

"In such a vast expanse of open sea, scanning every suspicious boat and pinpointing the exact target vessel was a formidable challenge. However, the Coast Guard crew and our deployed officers executed the operation tactically and successfully," Joshi said.

The Coast Guard intercepted the boat, detained its crew and searched the vessel. It was equipped with a Starlink device that provided satellite internet connectivity while at sea, he said.

The vessel, crew and seized drugs were subsequently brought to Mumbai for legal proceedings.

The five detained crew members have been identified as Mohammad Yakub Balochi, Shakirullah, Faridullah, Ahmed Khan and Wahidullah Khan, all residents of Peshawar in Pakistan.

According to the ATS, the boat had departed from near Konarak port in Iran.

While passing off Gwadar in Pakistan, smugglers aboard a smaller boat from Gwadar transferred the contraband onto the Iranian vessel, Joshi said.

The consignment allegedly belonged to a transnational smuggling network run by Haji Salim, and the crew was supposed to hand over the drugs to another boat mid-sea, Joshi said.

"Preliminary investigation indicates that after landing in Tamil Nadu, the consignment was destined for transfer up to Punjab to a Nigerian handler," Joshi said.

An FIR has been registered and legal proceedings have been initiated at the Gujarat ATS police station, Joshi said.

Asked why the smugglers had shifted from the Gujarat coast to an alternative sea route, Joshi said recent crackdowns by the Gujarat ATS and other agencies had made landings along the state's coastline difficult.

"Our intelligence grid is exceptionally tight, virtually choking off trafficking attempts along the Gujarat coastline. As a result, narcotics originating from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran are now routed toward other Indian states," Joshi said.

On the wanted Gujarat-based accused allegedly involved in planning the operation, Joshi said the ATS was coordinating with other agencies to trace him, without naming him.

"More backward and forward linkages will be uncovered soon, and updates will be shared accordingly," he said.