50kg heroin worth Rs 360 crore seized from Pakistani boat off Gujarat coast

AHMEDABAD, Oct 8: Gujarat's Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) in a mid-sea joint operation with Indian Coast Guard (ICG) caught a Pakistani boat and recovered 50 kg heroin worth ₹350 crore in international market value and apprehended six crew members, an official said on Saturday, October 8, 2022.
As per the details, the Indian Coast Guard and ATS teams intercepted Pakistani boat Al Sakar with 6 crew members aboard and seized 50 kg of heroin close to International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), off the Gujarat coast.The agencies acted based on inputs of drug trafficking mid-sea as the contraband was supposed to be delivered.Six persons onboard the boat and suspected to be Pakistani nationals have been apprehended and the boat is being brought to Jakhao port in Kutch for further investigation.
Earlier in September this year, in a similar joint operation, the ATS and ICG officials had caught six Pakistani nationals and recovered 40 kg narcotics valued at about ₹200 crore from their possession.
Since Gujarat coast has become a preferred route for drug smuggling, the State and federal agencies have seized drug cargos upon landing at the ports or in mid-sea at regular intervals.The ATS with various federal agencies have caught 28 Pakistani nationals and made recovery of around around 1,300 kg heroin worth ₹6,350 crore in eight case of narcotics smuggling into India using the sea route.