Drugs worth Rs 600 crore seized from Pakistani boat off Gujarat coast; 14 crew members held

AHMEDABAD: The Indian Coast Guard has seized 86 kg of drugs worth Rs 600 crore from a Pakistani boat and arrested 14 persons on board the vessel off the Gujarat coast, the maritime security agency said on Sunday.

The overnight operation in the Arabian Sea was carried out in coordination with the Gujarat Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), it said.

“In a breathtaking overnight operation, 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 has been apprehended along with 14 crew from the Pakistani boat,” the agency said in a release.

The Coast Guard is yet to disclose what kind of narcotic substances were recovered from the Pakistani boat.

Coast Guard ships and aircraft were deployed for the operation, it said, adding that ICG ship Rajratan was used to identify the suspect boat with the help of NCB and ATS officials on board.

“No amount of evasive manoeuvring 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 said.

The Pakistani boat along with its 14-member crew were apprehended and were being brought to Porbandar for further investigations, it added.

“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 objectives,” it added.