Gujarat: DRI Arrested 6 Pakistani Nationals For Smuggling Narcotic Drugs at Jakhau Port

New Delhi, May 25: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Saturday said to have arrested six Pakistani nationals for allegedly smuggling 218 kilograms of narcotic drugs at Jakhau port in Gujarat. DRI had shared information with the Indian Coast Guard about a Pakistani-origin fishing boat 'Al Madina' carrying a huge quantity of narcotic drugs, which would deliver the consignment to suspected recipients mid-sea for further distribution in India.

"Coast Guard intercepted the Pakistani vessel on May 22 with six Pakistani crew and brought it to Jakhau (Kutch) on Gujarat coast. On board, the Pakistani boat, 194 packets of illicit drugs were recovered by the Coast Guard. An Indian fishing boat which was found to be suspicious was also detained along with its crew," said DRI in a release.

"On May 22, DRI completed the seizure of the illicit narcotic drugs weighing about 218 kilograms under the Customs Act, 1962 and the NDPS Act, 1985. Six Pakistani crew have also been arrested by the DRI on May 24 under the provisions of Section 42 and 43 of the NDPS Act, 1985. The accused were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate at Bhuj who has remanded them to DRI custody till May 27," it said.

The accused had thrown these packets into the sea to avoid detection but the Coast Guard recovered 194 packets weighing roughly 218 kilograms."Investigations have revealed that this Pakistani boat 'Al-Madina' had made a similar journey for delivery of drugs into India. While this time, Pakistani boat had started from Ibrahim Haidari Port in Karachi on May 18, the week before they had loaded the drugs at the port of Mahadi, Balochistan on May 10.

After being initially delayed by bad weather, they had reached the Indian location on May 12, but the Indian recipient had not turned up to receive the contraband," the release read. "After waiting for two days, on the directions of their Pakistani handler, they returned to Pakistan and buried the 330 kilograms of heroin at Petiyani Creek.

This time on their journey back to India again after merely 2-3 days (on May 18) they changed most of the crew, retrieved the same buried consignments from Petiyani Creek started from Ibrahim Haidari port in Karachi for delivery to Indian recipients," it said."Inter-agency co-ordination has been the priority of DRI and this has been strengthened after the creation of S-CORD (National anti-smuggling Coordination Centre) under DRI," the release said.