NEW DELHI: The
Indian Coast Guard
has seized drugs worth Rs 600 crore from a
Pakistani boat
off the Gujarat coast after an operation conducted overnight in the Arabian Sea.
14 crew members on board were arrested following the interception.
This operation was a collaborative effort between the Coast Guard, Gujarat
Anti-terrorism Squad
(ATS), and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
"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 specifics regarding the type of narcotic substances seized from the Pakistani boat have not yet been disclosed by the Coast Guard.
The ICG ship Rajratan played a pivotal role in identifying the suspicious boat with assistance from NCB and ATS officials onboard.
"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 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.
The Pakistani boat, along with its crew, was apprehended and is currently being transported to Porbandar for further investigation.
(With agency inputs)
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