The Indian Navy, in a joint operation with the Narcotics Control Bureau, seized a boat carrying nearly 3,300 kg of drugs. ‘The drugs seized include 3,089 kilograms of charas, 158 kg of Methamphetamine and 25 kg of morphine’, the Indian Navy said in a statement.
“Indian Navy in a coordinated operation with Narcotics Control Bureau, seized a suspicious dhow carrying almost 3300Kgs contraband (3089 Kgs Charas, 158 Kgs Methamphetamine 25 Kgs Morphine). The largest seizure of narcotics, in quantity in recent times,” Navy said in a statement.
The vessel was stopped near the International Maritime Boundary Line off the Gujarat coast in the Arabian Sea. The contraband, along with the apprehended boat and crew, were handed over to law enforcement agencies at a Bharatiya port on February 27.
The interception was made possible based on information provided by the P8I LRMR aircraft during a surveillance mission. The Indian Navy’s mission-deployed ship was diverted to intercept the suspicious dhow involved in contraband smuggling.
“The coordinated response of the #IndianNavy with Law Enforcement Agencies is reflective of our resolute stance against narcotics trafficking in #India’s maritime neighbourhood”, the Indian Navy said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the Navy and NCB for their achievement and termed the joint operation a “historic success”.
“In a joint operation carried out by the NCB, the Navy, and the Gujarat Police, a gigantic consignment of 3132 kg of drugs was seized. The historic success is a testament to our government’s commitment to making our nation drug-free. On this occasion, I congratulate the NCB, the Navy, and the Gujarat Police,” Amit Shah said.
As of now, five foreigners have been arrested from the boat. These five people are unlikely to be either Iranian or Pakistani nationals. No documents of nationality have been recovered from them, a senior NCB officer said.
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