KOCHI: Four days after the seizure of 2,525kg of methamphetamine (meth) worth Rs 20,000 crore off the coast of Kerala, several pieces of information are yet to be made public. They include the exact location in the Arabian Sea where the drug bust was made, name of the mother vessel and the identity of the crew. While Zubair Derakhshandeh, a suspected Pakistan national, was arrested on board an AIS (Automatic Identification Systems) vessel, the officials concerned remain evasive about various details regarding the drug bust.
Even Zubair’s counsel has claimed that the documents submitted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in court are vague. The location of the drug-carrying vessel at the time of the bust is one of the key details that NCB remains tight-lipped about. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act only applies to territorial waters of India, which is up to 12 nautical miles. Up to 200 nautical miles is an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
When contacted, NCB officials said such details were matters of investigation that could not be disclosed at this stage. “We just started the probe. We have coordinated with the Navy. Details about the vessel’s distance from the shore will be confirmed,” said an official.A retired customs officer said there will be legal complications if the boat was intercepted beyond India’s territorial waters.
“The Navy might have intercepted the vessel and handed over the accused and drugs to NCB later. However, Indian laws, including NDPS, are applicable only in India’s territorial waters. A similar question was raised in the Enrica Lexie shooting case in which Italian marines claimed the lives of two Indian fishermen around 20.5 nautical miles off the coast. However, both cases are different,” he said.
Zubair’s counsel B A Aloor remained apprehensive of NCB’s silence about the location of the seizure. “We suspect that the boat carrying the drugs was seized outside Indian waters. The suspect has maintained the boat was cruising on the high seas. We will raise the matter in court when it considers Zubair’s custody application,” Aloor said.
Questions also linger over Zubair’s nationality. The remand application filed by the NCB before the Judicial First Class Magistrate on Monday mentioned the case as Junior Intelligence Officer, NCB, vs Zubair Derakhshandeh, 29, son of Noor Mohammed, Pollan Village, Vali Mohammad Bazar, Chabahar, Iran. However, in the descriptive part of the application, NCB claimed Zubair is a Pakistan national. NCB maintains he is trying to divert the probe by not disclosing his nationality and real address. It is also not known whether it was an Iranian or Pakistani ship.
There also remains lack of clarity about the mother vessel from which the drugs were seized. The ship was brought to the shore but not seized. NCB maintains the remaining crew members left on a speed boat after spotting the Navy vessel. Also, though there are reports the mother vessel was headed to Sri Lanka, it has not been confirmed.
“Did the other crew members leave Zubair alone in the mothership which, reports claim, was sinking, and left in the speed boat? The remand application claims the Indian Navy apprehended foreign nationals with a huge quantity of drugs, which they handed over to NCB at Kochi Naval base. We hope they disclose the details while seeking Zubair’s custody,” Aloor said.
Zubair admits to working for Pak drug trafficker
Kochi: Zubair Derakshandeh, who was arrested in connection with the seizure of 2,525 kg of methamphetamine (meth) off Kerala coast, worked for a Pakistani drug trafficker, the remand application filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in court has revealed. Indian Navy ship INS TEG, a Talwar-class frigate, had intercepted the vessel carrying the contraband before shifting Zubair, suspected to be a Pakistani, and recovering the drugs. As per his statement in the report, Zubair revealed that they were intercepted on May 10. “Zubair gave his voluntary statement at NCB’s Kochi office on May 15. In it, he admitted to working for a Pakistani drug trafficker who promised him good money upon completion of the work,” said the report.