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An Iranian boat named Azad carrying 526 kg of narcotics was intercepted in the Arabian Sea following intelligence inputs that allegedly revealed a Pakistan-to-Tamil Nadu delivery plan, Gujarat ATS DIG Sunil Joshi said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Joshi said the operation was launched after the Gujarat ATS received information about a long-wanted accused from Gujarat who had allegedly contacted a Nigerian national in connection with bringing a large consignment of narcotics into India. On September 10, Police Inspector JM Patel of the Gujarat ATS received information that a long-wanted accused from Gujarat had contacted a Nigerian national; at the latter's behest, the Nigerian had met an individual in Gujarat, Joshi said. Based on the intelligence, the ATS learnt that a consignment of more than 500 kg of narcotics was to be brought into India on the Iranian boat Azad. Joshi said an advance payment had also been transferred in connection with the alleged operation. The final intelligence indicated that five accused had departed from the vicinity of the Konarak port on the Iranian coast, and a smaller boat had approached the Azad off the coast of Gwadar, Pakistan, to deliver the narcotics consignment, he said. The Gujarat ATS subsequently coordinated with the operations wing of the Coast Guard headquarters and formed a joint team. Due to technical reasons, the team was deployed from Kochi, Joshi said. The operation continued for approximately 17 days across a vast maritime area. On September 25, the suspected boat was spotted approximately 160 nautical miles northwest of Lakshadweep and 490 nautical miles southwest of Mumbai. The vessel was intercepted and searched, following which the boat and the apprehended persons were brought to the Mumbai coast for further investigation. Joshi said preliminary interrogation identified the five accused as Mohammad Yaqub Baluchi, Shakirullah, Faridullah, Ahmed Khan and Wahidullah Khan, all residents of Pakistan. According to the ATS official, the accused had commenced their sea journey from Konarak port. A small fishing boat from Gwadar allegedly approached Azad and loaded the narcotics consignment onto the vessel. The accused were subsequently tasked with delivering the shipment to a boat from Tamil Nadu, Joshi said. Interrogation revealed that the total consignment weighed 526 kg, comprising approximately 400 kg of methamphetamine and 126 kg of heroin, he said. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the seizure, saying the government was determined to protect the countrys youth from drugs. He said the operation was a joint effort involving the Gujarat ATS, Indian Coast Guard and central intelligence agencies. The seized narcotics are estimated to be worth more than Rs 3,000 crore in the international market. Shah said five Pakistani nationals had been arrested and that further investigation was underway to identify the wider network and intended recipients. The operation is part of continued efforts by Indian agencies to detect and disrupt suspected transnational maritime drug-smuggling networks.(ANI)
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