Boat smuggling foreign cigarettes worth Rs 5 crore caught off Gujarat coast

A foreign boat was seized off Gujarat coast on Saturday. A search of the vessel led to the recovery of 200 cartons containing about one lakh packets of foreign-brand cigarettes.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) intercepted a suspicious foreign vessel inside India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the North Arabian Sea and detained four Iranian nationals after seizing a large consignment of foreign cigarettes.

The operation was carried out on the morning of February 21 when an ICG ship, on forward area patrol under Coast Guard Region (North West), spotted the boat about 115 nautical miles west of Dwarka. Officials said the vessel’s movement appeared suspicious, prompting the Coast Guard to move in for inspection.

On noticing the Coast Guard ship, the boat tried to flee towards the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) but was quickly intercepted. The boat was reportedly registered in Colombo.

The vessel was identified as Al Mukhtar, though it was transmitting a different name on its Automatic Identification System (AIS). A boarding team found four crew members on board.

During questioning, the crew were found to be Iranian nationals. The boat was reportedly registered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, but the men failed to produce valid documents or provide a satisfactory explanation for their presence in Indian waters.

A search of the vessel led to the recovery of 200 cartons containing about one lakh packets of foreign-brand cigarettes, hidden in the cargo holds. The international market value of the seized consignment is estimated between Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 5 crore, officials said, adding that the exact value will be determined after assessment. Two hundred cartons containing about one lakh packets of foreign-brand cigarettes were recovered from the boat.