Record 3,300 kg narcotics seized from boat off Gujarat coast; 5 foreigners arrested

Porbandar/New Delhi: Indian security and anti-narcotics agencies on Wednesday said they have seized 3,300 kg of drugs in the highest-ever offshore capture to date and arrested five foreigners from a dhow in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah called the joint operation by the Navy, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Gujarat Police a "historic success" and a testament to his government's "unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free." The operation was undertaken in the Arabian Sea along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with the Navy saying on X that it deployed its P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, a warship and helicopters to apprehend the "suspicious dhow carrying almost 3,300 kg of contraband (3,089 kg of Charas, 158 kg of Methamphetamine and 25 kg of Morphine)." "This seizure of drugs is by far the largest in terms of quantity, & was possible through #collaborative efforts of #IndianNavy's #missiondeployed assets with the NCB," the Navy social media handle post said.

The NCB in Delhi said the joint team of agencies "busted yet another international drug trafficking network and effected the highest-ever offshore seizure (by quantity) in the country." The five people arrested from the boat are suspected to be either Iranian or Pakistani nationals. No documents of nationality have been recovered from them, a senior NCB officer said. The official did not specify the cost of the contraband.

In the international market, one kg of charas is priced at Rs 7 crore.

A senior official of the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) said a large quantity of different types of drugs, including charas (hashish), was seized from a boat during the mid-sea operation off the state coast.

Based on a specific tip-off, the operation was conducted in the Arabian Sea near the IMBL, he said.

Home Minister Shah, in his post on X, said pursuing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a drug-free Bharat, the agencies have achieved the grand success of making the biggest offshore seizure of drugs in the nation.