Indian Coast Guard seizes vessel with 30kg heroin; 8 Pakistani crew members arrested
The Indian Coast Guard apprehended a suspected Pakistani boat containing 30 kilogrammes of heroin and arrested eight Pakistani nationals from the vessel off the coast of Gujarat.
An intelligence input was received on April 13 about suspected narcotics trafficking by the Pakistani boat off the India-Pakistan international maritime boundary line, following which a coordinated operation was jointly launched by the Coast Guard and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Gujarat state police.
The fast interceptor boat of the Coast Guard with ATS officials was deployed to intercept the suspected Pakistani boat.
On midnight of April 14, the boat was sighted inside Indian waters and intercepted by the Coast Guard. Upon boarding and rummaging, about 30 packets of heroin weighing approximately 1 kg each were recovered from the boat, the Coast Guard said today.
The value of the seized narcotics in the international market is estimated to be around 300 crore rupees in the international market, it said, adding that preliminary investigations revealed that the consignment of heroin being smuggled was destined to land on Gujarat shore.
The boat along with eight Pakistani crew is being escorted to Jakhau, Gujarat, for further search and joint investigation.
In the past year, the Coast Guard has successfully seized more than 1.6 tonnes of narcotics worth approximately Rs 5,200 crore.
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