Ahmedabad: In an anti-narcotics operation, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) intercepted a Pakistani boat carrying approximately 86 kg of drugs, estimated to be worth Rs 600 crore, on Sunday. In the operation, 14 crew members on board were arrested.
Acting on intelligence, the operation was conducted jointly between the ICG, Gujarat Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS), and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Various ICG ships and aircraft were deployed to ensure the mission’s success.
The ICG ship Rajratan, which had NCB and ATS officials on board identified the suspect boat’s attempts to escape. The team boarded the Pakistani boat and after a detailed search, the team confirmed the presence of a large quantity of narcotics.
The Indian Coast Guard has made a social media post about the incident from its official handle.
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
The seized Pakistani boat, along with its detained crew, is currently escorted to Porbandar for further investigation. This is the second major operation against the illicit drug mafia within two days. On Saturday, the Gujarat ATS and NCB jointly busted three mephedrone labs located at Piplaj on the outskirts of Gandhinagar, in Amreli, and at Lotiwara in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan. The operation led to the arrest of 13 people and the seizure of mephedrone with a street value of Rs 230 crore.
The incident comes a month after a boat carrying 60 packets of drugs was seized and six Pakistani crew members onboard the vessel were apprehended off the Gujarat coast in a multi-agency operation in March.
