In a major joint operation, the Navy, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Gujarat Police apprehended a dhow in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast, and seized a record haul of almost 3,300kg of drugs.
It is believed to be the highest-ever offshore capture till date, and comprises 3,089kg of charas, 158kg of methamphetamine and 25kg of morphine. One kg of charas is priced at Rs 7 crore in international market.
According to Deccan Herald, the consignment was bound for Tamil Nadu.
#IndianNavy in a coordinated ops with Narcotics Control Bureau, apprehended a suspicious dhow carrying almost 3300Kgs contraband (3089 Kgs Charas, 158 Kgs Methamphetamine 25 Kgs Morphine).
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) February 28, 2024
The largest seizure of narcotics, in quantity in recent times.@narcoticsbureau pic.twitter.com/RPvzI1fdLW
Five foreigners have been arrested from the dhow. They are suspected to be either Iranian or Pakistani nationals. No documents of nationality have been recovered from them, a senior NCB officer said.
The operation was undertaken based on a specific tip-off, 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”.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah called the joint operation a "historic success" and a testament of the Union government's "unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free".
