Gujarat police, coast guard foil Pakistani drug smuggling bid off Jakhau coast, 300 kg drug seized

IN A joint operation, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Indian Coast Guard seized over 300 kg of drugs worth ₹18 billion (£158.60m), which were dumped into the Arabian Sea by Pakistani smugglers who fled across the international maritime boundary on being chased.

The seized contraband is suspected to be methamphetamine and has been handed over to the Anti-Terrorist Squad for further probe, a release by the Indian Coast Guard said on Monday (14).

Methamphetamine is a lab-made (synthetic) stimulant also known as "ice" or "crystal meth". It is a highly addictive recreational drug which exhibits powerful euphoric effects.

According to the police, the contraband sent from Pakistan's Pasni port was supposed to be moved to another boat mid-sea and then transported to Tamil Nadu.

The police and the coast guard carried out the joint operation near the International Maritime Boundary Line between India and Pakistan in the Arabian Sea off Gujarat on the intervening night of April 12-13, the release added.

The Jakhau coast in Kutch district is the closest point on the Indian mainland to the maritime boundary.

Upon seeing an approaching Coast Guard ship, the smugglers, who were on a fishing boat, dumped the contraband into the sea and fled across the maritime boundary, it said.

The operation was carried out based on an input from the ATS.

The proximity of the international boundary line and the initial separation between the Coast Guard ship and the boat, helped the smugglers to evade interception and cross over to Pakistan waters, said the release.

Later, a Coast Guard team carried out a search to recover narcotics dumped into the sea, which was brought to Porbandar for further investigations.

Police officials said at a press conference that 311 packets of the contraband, weighing 311 kg, were sealed in drums.

These drums could float if thrown into the sea and be retrieved later.

The police had received a tip-off that a Pakistan-based drugs mafia named Fida would send a fishing boat loaded with the contraband into Indian waters and it will be offloaded mid-sea to another boat bound for Tamil Nadu.