Officials announced on Wednesday that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Indian Navy have made a significant drug seize offshore, marking the largest haul to date. Approximately 3500 kg of drugs, valued at over ₹1000 crore, were confiscated from a ship in Indian waters off the Gujarat coast. Five men suspected to be from Pakistan or Iran have been arrested in connection with the operation.
Gyaneshwar Singh, NCB’s Deputy Director General (Operations), stated that further details regarding the seizure will be disclosed later in the day. He added that the arrested individuals lack proper identity papers and are believed to hail from either Iran or Pakistan. This seizure represents the highest quantity of drugs ever seized offshore in the country.
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Over the past two years, the NCB has collaborated with the Indian Navy on three major operations in the Indian Ocean. In February 2022, 221 kg of methamphetamine was recovered from a ship off the Gujarat coast. Additionally, in October 2022, another 200 kg of high-grade heroin was seized from a vessel near the Kerala coast.
Last year, in May, the NCB intercepted a ship from Pakistan carrying at least 2500 kg of methamphetamine worth ₹12000 crore in the Indian Ocean. The investigation revealed that the drugs were intended to be distributed to cartels in India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Previous probes conducted by the NCB indicated that a Pakistan-based individual, Haji Salim, was involved in smuggling drugs into India via the marine channel.
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