Ahmedabad, March 12: A boat carrying 60 packets of drugs was seized and six Pakistani crew members onboard the vessel were apprehended off the Gujarat coast in a multi-agency operation on Tuesday, an official said. Based on a tip-off, the Indian Coast Guard, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) conducted a joint operation in the Arabian Sea near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), said Sunil Joshi, superintendent of police, ATS. Indian Navy-NCB Apprehends Boat with Drugs Weighing over 3,000 Kg off Gujarat Coast
"A vessel carrying nearly 60 packets of contraband was seized around 180 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast. The boat with six Pakistani crew members is now being brought in for further investigation," he said. Record 3,300 Kg of Narcotics Caught off Gujarat Coast; 5 Foreigners Held
Six Pakistani Crew Members Carrying Drugs Caught off Gujarat Coast
@IndiaCoastGuard with #ATS Gujarat & #NCB apprehended Pak boat in Arabian Sea in an overnight anti-narco operation. Boat with 06 crew & approx 80Kg contraband worth ₹ 480 Cr being brought to nearest Port for further joint rummaging & investigations. @giridhararamane pic.twitter.com/7p2frqvimL
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) March 12, 2024
The type of drug and its value are yet to be ascertained as the boat is being brought to the shore, he said. This is the second major anti-narcotics operation carried out by the agencies in the Arabian Sea in one month. On February 26, five foreign nationals were held off the Porbandar coast with 3,300 kg of narcotics, including charas.