PORBANDAR, April 14 -- In a major operation, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), in a coordinated overnight raid with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), confiscated more than 300 kg of methamphetamine worth about Rs 1,800 crore. The coordinated operation was carried out between April 12 and 13 in the Arabian Sea, close to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), off the North Maharashtra-South Gujarat coast.
Based on reliable information received from Gujarat ATS, a Coast Guard ship on multi-mission deployment in the area was diverted to board a suspected vessel attempting mid-sea transhipment. Upon sighting the ICG ship heading towards it, the suspect boat jettisoned its consignment of narcotics into the sea and tried to make a run towards the IMBL.
Despite an immediate response, such as the deployment of a sea boat to retrieve the dumped consignment and a hot chase of the escaped vessel, the suspect vessel succeeded in evading capture by crossing over the IMBL. However, the ICG team did manage to retrieve a large amount of methamphetamine from the sea under difficult night-time conditions.
The seized narcotics have been taken to Porbandar for legal proceedings and investigation.
This raid joins a long list of successful joint operations between Gujarat ATS and the ICG, in December 2023, more than 200 kg of heroin worth Rs 1,400 crore was seized in an operation off the Mandvi coast, Kutch. The shipment, attributed to Pakistani handlers, was intended to be smuggled into India by sea route. In May 2022, a Pakistani fishing boat with 56 kg of high-quality heroin valued at Rs 350 crore was seized off the Gujarat coast, and all the crew were arrested while the illicit cargo was seized.
With this recent seizure, the ICG and Gujarat ATS have collectively conducted 13 successful anti-narcotics operations recently.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.