The Indian security forces on Sunday arrested 14 Pakistani nationals off the Gujarat coast and seized 86 kilograms of contraband drugs(mainly Hashish) worth around ₹600 crore from their possession.
The drugs were planned to be transported to Tamil Nadu via an Indian boat, with final delivery to a drug lord in Sri Lanka. The Pakistani boat, identified by the call sign ‘Ali’ via onboard radio, coordinated with an Indian boat assigned the password ‘Haider’ for the drug delivery.
A senior Gujarat ATS official said they received intelligence input that Pakistani drug lord Haji Aslam alias Babu Baloch was trying to smuggle mephedrone drugs from Karachi port using fishing trawler ‘Al-Raza’ between April 25 night and April 26 early morning and was to arrive closer to India’s International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) off Porbandar coast.
NCBs OPS SAGARMANTHAN-III 📌
Coordinated Ops by @narcoticsbureau &
ATS @GujaratPolice & @IndiaCoastGuard
📷Seized a foreign boat carrying 86 kgs (approx) Heroin & Methamphetamine.
📷Drugs worth approx Rs. 602 Crores seized.
📷 14 Pakistani Nationals apprehended.
📷 Second… pic.twitter.com/Wj1cPqMqKi— NCB INDIA (@narcoticsbureau) April 28, 2024
One of the officials said “In response, the operations team fired, injuring one Pakistani crew member. The Indian officials soon boarded the Pakistani vessel and arrested the 14 crew members along with 78 packets of drugs, which contained about 86 kilograms of contraband worth around ₹602 crore.”
The Pakistani boat along with its crew has been apprehended and is being brought to Porbandar for further investigations. The jointness of ICG and ATS, which has led to eleven such successful law enforcement operations in the last three years itself reaffirms the synergy for national objective.
#BreakingNews: Mega Drug Bust Off #Gujarat Coast
Nearly 86 kgs of narcotics worth Rs 600 crore seized
14 Pakistani nationals, who were on board, also apprehended#GujaratDrugs #Crime | @aayeshavarma pic.twitter.com/vpOXmgl8a5
— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) April 28, 2024
On April 26, The Gujarat ATS and NCB conducted a joint operation, arresting 13 individuals across Gujarat and Rajasthan for allegedly possessing mephedrone valued at ₹230 crore. Following a tip-off received by the ATS, raids were conducted on April 26 as they suspected that Ahmedabad resident Manoharlal Enani and Kuldeepsinh Rajpurohit from Rajasthan had established mephedrone manufacturing units, officials said.