BHUJ: A total of 49 packets containing drugs were recovered after they got washed ashore in the creek area of Arabian Sea near Jakhau in Gujarat's Kutch district, a police official said on Sunday.
The drug packets were discovered by Border Security Force and local police and are suspected to be part of the consignment being smuggled on a Pakistani boat recently apprehended by Coast Guard working jointly with the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad, Kutch (West) Superintendent of Police Saurabh Singh said.
"Each packet weighs around one kilogram. We are checking whether the drugs are the same that were being smuggled on the Pakistani boat. An ATS team is coming to check and confirm the same," he said.
The Coast Guard had apprehended Pakistani boat Al Noman with seven crew members in the intervening night of May 30-31, working jointly with the state ATS on information that it was carrying contraband.
However, rummaging of the boat had not yielded any drugs.
Preliminary questioning of the seven arrested Pakistani nationals revealed that two plastic bags containing the contraband were loaded on the boat and were to be unloaded in another boat after entering Indian waters, the ATS said.
After entering the Indian waters, 'Al Noman' was trying to establish contact with another boat via VHF, officials said.
When they noticed the ICG ship approaching them, they threw the two bags into the sea, the officials added.