In a major crackdown on the smuggling of narcotics, the Indian Coast Guard announced on Monday that they had seized 173 kg of narcotics off the Gujarat coast. Alongside the seizure, the maritime agency said two crew on board the vessel were also apprehended during the joint operation on the high seas on Sunday afternoon.
In a statement released, the Indian Coast Guard said, "In a coordinated effort, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) seized an Indian fishing boat in the Arabian Sea carrying 173 kg of narcotics and arrested two perpetrators on board."
Reportedly, the joint operation revealed that a total of 173 kg of Hashish (extracted from cannabis) were being smuggled by two Indians. "Acting on specific and credible intelligence provided by ATS Gujarat, ICG strategically deployed its assets ensuring comprehensive surveillance to intercept the suspected boat. Subsequent investigations upon intercepting the boat confirmed the accuracy of the intelligence inputs, establishing the involvement of the fishing boat and its two perpetrators in smuggling drugs," the Indian Coast Guard added.
It is pertinent to note that the recent crackdown operation comes a day after the ICG seized 86 kg of narcotics worth approximately Rs. 600 crores from a Pakistani boat off the Gujarat coast. Alongside the seizure, the Maritime agency said 14 Pakistani crew on board the vessel were also arrested.
The Indian Coast Guard providing the details of the earlier overnight sea-air coordinated joint operation stated, “In a breathtaking overnight operation, the Indian Coast Guard undertook an intelligence-based anti-narcotics operation at sea on 28 Apr 24. Approx 86 kg of narcotics worth Rs 600 crore have been apprehended along with 14 crew from the Pakistani boat.”
It added, the operation followed a previous interception last month, which resulted in the seizure of 80 kgs of drugs. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard did not specify the narcotic substances recovered from the Pakistani boat. They mentioned that the ICG ship Rajratan was utilized to identify the suspect boat with the assistance of NCB and ATS officials on board.
“No amount of evasive maneuvering tactics employed by the drug-laden boat could save it from the swift and strong ICG ship Rajratan. The ship’s specialist team embarked on the suspect boat and, after thorough checks, confirmed the presence of a sizable amount of narcotics,” the Coast Guard reported.
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