New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has intercepted a Pakistani boat off the Gujarat coast, seizing 86 kg of medicine valued at roughly Rs 600 crore. In an in a single day operation carried out within the Arabian Sea, the ICG collaborated with the Gujarat Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Narcotics Management Bureau (NCB) to apprehend 14 people aboard the vessel, the maritime safety company mentioned on Sunday. This marks the eleventh profitable joint operation carried out over the previous three years.
A senior Gujarat police official confirmed that heroin was seized from the intercepted boat. “In a daring in a single day operation, the Indian Coast Guard carried out an intelligence-driven anti-narcotics mission at sea on April twenty eighth. Roughly 86 kg of narcotics, valued at Rs 600 crore, was apprehended together with 14 crew members from the Pakistani boat,” acknowledged the company in a launch.
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) April 28, 2024
Coast Guard vessels and plane have been deployed for the operation, with ICG ship Rajratan utilised to find the suspect boat in collaboration with NCB and ATS officers, as reported by information company PTI.
“No quantity of evasive manoeuvring techniques employed by the drug-laden boat might reserve it from the swift and robust ICG ship Rajratan. The ship’s specialist crew launched into the suspect boat and, after thorough checks, confirmed the presence of a large quantity of narcotics,” the Coast Guard mentioned.
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Pakistani Boat, Alongside With 14-Member Crew, Despatched To Porbandar
The Pakistani boat, together with its 14-member crew, was apprehended and despatched to Porbandar for additional investigations, in line with the assertion. “The collaboration between the Indian Coast Guard and ATS, leading to eleven profitable legislation enforcement operations over the previous three years, underscores the synergy in reaching nationwide goals,” the discharge added.
Gujarat Director Common of Police Vikas Sahay disclosed {that a} complete of 78 packets weighing 86 kg have been recovered from the Pakistani fishing boat. Preliminary investigations point out that the packets contained heroin, a potent leisure opioid.
“Indian Coast Guard and ATS officers approached the Pakistani fishing boat and confronted it with bravery. An ICG official needed to shoot, after which the crew members of the boat surrendered and the officers detained them”, Sahay instructed media individuals. He mentioned the top of the crew was injured in his proper hand within the firing and was present process therapy.
Following the seizure of the boat, a second ATS crew was dispatched to the placement, as acknowledged by Vikas Sahay. “All of the crew members originate from Balochistan, Pakistan,” he confirmed. Sahay additionally recalled a earlier incident during which the Coast Guard, NCB, and ATS collectively apprehended a ship transporting methamphetamine, a potent psycho-stimulant drug valued at over Rs 400 crore, together with its six Pakistani crew members off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat final month, as per PTI.
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In February, officers reported that the Indian Navy and the NCB intercepted a dhow off the Gujarat coast, containing 5 crew members, and confiscated a staggering 3,300 kg of medicine, marking one of many largest drug seizures in current historical past. The seized narcotics comprised 3,089 kilograms of charas, a extremely potent type of hashish resin. Officers estimated the worth of charas to be almost Rs 7 crore per kilogram in worldwide markets, underscoring the magnitude of the interception.