ATS, Coast Guard seize 50 kg heroin worth ₹350 crore from Pakistani boat off Gujarat
The Hindu
6 persons onboard the boat, suspected to be Pakistani nationals, have been apprehended by the Gujarat ATS and Indian Coast Guard teams.
Gujarat’s Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) in a mid-sea joint operation with Indian Coast Guard (ICG) caught a Pakistani boat and recovered 50 kg heroin worth ₹350 crore in international market value and apprehended six crew members, an official said on Saturday, October 8, 2022.
As per the details, the Indian Coast Guard and ATS teams intercepted Pakistani boat Al Sakar with 6 crew members aboard and seized 50 kg of heroin close to International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), off the Gujarat coast.
The agencies acted based on inputs of drug trafficking mid-sea as the contraband was supposed to be delivered.
Also read: Ground Zero | Mundra Port drug seizure | Big haul, small fish and a dead end
Six persons onboard the boat and suspected to be Pakistani nationals have been apprehended and the boat is being brought to Jakhao port in Kutch for further investigation.
Earlier in September this year, in a similar joint operation, the ATS and ICG officials had caught six Pakistani nationals and recovered 40 kg narcotics valued at about ₹200 crore from their possession.
Since Gujarat coast has become a preferred route for drug smuggling, the State and federal agencies have seized drug cargos upon landing at the ports or in mid-sea at regular intervals.