- Sunday, February 23, 2025
The interception marked the largest drug seizure in recent memory, the Indian Navy said.
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Indian Navy, in collaboration with the country’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), on Tuesday (27) conducted an operation leading to the confiscation of approximately 3,300 kilograms of drugs from a small ship near Porbandar in the western coastal state of Gujarat. The interception marked the largest drug seizure in recent memory, as confirmed by sources in the navy.
During the operation, the vessel was halted by the Navy, leading to the discovery of 3,089 kg of charas, 158 kg of methamphetamine and 25 kg of morphine. All five crew members aboard the ship, allegedly nationals of Pakistan, have been apprehended.
While officials did not give details about the total value of the drugs seized, news agency PTI said one kg of charas is priced at Rs 7 crore (£667,913) in international markets.
Read: Indian national forfeits £118m from sale of drugs in Britain, US
#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).
The largest seizure of narcotics, in quantity in recent times.@narcoticsbureau pic.twitter.com/RPvzI1fdLW— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) February 28, 2024
“The seizure of drugs from the dhow, which is by far the largest in terms of quantity, was possible through the collaborative efforts of the Indian Navy’s mission-deployed assets with the NCB. The contraband along with the apprehended boat and crew have been handed over to the Law Enforcement Agencies at an Indian port,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.
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Indian home minister Amit Shah, who hails from Gujarat, congratulated the navy, NCB and the Gujarat Police for what he called a “historic success” towards achieving prime minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a drug-free India.
“Pursuing PM Modi Ji’s vision of a drug-free Bharat our agencies today achieved the grand success of making the biggest offshore seizure of drugs in the nation. In a joint operation carried out by the NCB, the Navy, and the Gujarat Police, a gigantic consignment of 3132 kg of drugs was seized. The historic success is a testament to our govt’s unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free. On this occasion, I congratulate the NCB, the Navy, and the Gujarat Police,” he said.
According to a senior official from the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) who spoke to PTI, the operation took place in the Arabian Sea near the International Maritime Boundary Line.
The Indian Navy reported that a suspicious ‘dhow’ (sailing vessel) was sighted off the coast of Porbandar during a routine surveillance by an aircraft. Subsequently, a naval ship was redirected to intercept the vessel suspected of involvement in drug trafficking.
“Based on the input of P8I LRMR aircraft on surveillance mission, IN mission-deployed ship was diverted to intercept the suspicious dhow engaged in contraband smuggling,” the navy said.
The massive drug bust comes a week after a staggering 1,100 kg of the mephedrone, also known by its street name ‘Meow Meow’, worth Rs 2,500 crore was seized in two-day raids across the Indian cities of Pune and New Delhi.
