AHMEDABAD: Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Gujarat and the Indian Coast Guard on Monday apprehended a boat from Pakistan on the Indian side of the Arabian sea near Gujarat, with a consignment of heroin worth Rs 280 crores.
"In a joint operation with Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Gujarat, the India Coast Guard ships apprehended a Pakistani boat 'Al Haj' with 9 crew on the Indian side of the Arabian sea carrying heroin worth approx Rs 280 crores. Boat being brought to Jakhau for further investigation," said DGP Ashish Bhatia.
Bhatia added that ATS officer Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhavesh Rojia had received information that a Pakistan-based drug mafia named Mustafa was planning to smuggle heroin from a Pakistani port to North India via Gujarat coast. Based on the information, ATS and high-ranking Coast Guard officials swung into action.
“During the night of 24/25 Apr 2022, Indian Coast Guard Ship monitored a suspiciously moving boat approx 05 Nautical Miles (NM) inside Indian waters. ICG ship closed the vessel and directed her to stop for investigation. However, on being challenged, the vessel threw some bundles in the water and started to flee. The ICG ship immediately recovered the floating bundles from the sea which were confirmed to be narcotics. The Pakistani boat started to flee at high speed across the International Border. Despite the rough seas, the ICG ship chased the boat. The Pakistani boat failed to comply with all auditory and visual warnings by the ICG ship. Therefore warning shots were fired across the hull in an attempt to stop the fleeing boat. On the firing of shots, the boat stopped. ICG ship then boarded the vessel and apprehended the crew,” said Coast Guard officials.
After capturing the boat ATS and coast guard officials went on the boat for a search. As many as nine Pakistanis, apparently fishermen, and 56 packets (approximately 56 kilograms) of 280 crores worth of heroin in their possession were found in the boat.
Following this, ATS registered an FIR and all the nine Pakistani sailors were detained. Subsequently, the action was taken to seize the boat and the quantity of heroin. Further investigations into the seized boat and sailors and the seized heroin were conducted by ATS and NCB. As part of the investigation, ATS and NCB have formed and dispatched separate teams to conduct raids in different states of North India and other states.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the heroin was sent by the Pakistan-based drug smuggler Mustafa. Also, the quantity of these drugs was to be unloaded at the coast of Gujarat and delivered somewhere in North India.
Gujarat MOS for Home Harsh Sanghvi said “Heartfelt greetings to the Gujarat ATS, Coast Guard, and the central agency concerned, keeping an eye on the Pakistani drug mafia's every move before entering the border of Gujarat.”
In March, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad seized drugs estimated to be worth 2,170 crores in the last three years and arrested 73 people, including several Pakistani nationals, in this connection.
The Gujarat ATS claimed that Pakistani smugglers many times tried to use the Gujarat coast to smuggle drugs, but all such attempts were foiled.
The Gujarat ATS carried out joint operations with the Indian Coast Guard and local police to bust several such attempts, the anti-terror agency. In 2021alone, narcotics worth Rs 1,466.18 crore were seized, while drugs worth Rs 704.04 crore were confiscated in the previous two years.