Indian Navy commandos along with the seized drugs and crew members of the dhow carrying the contraband. (Photo: Indian Navy)
New Delhi: In a major operation, the Indian Navy, in collaboration with the Narcotics Control Bureau, intercepted a suspicious vessel near Gujarat’s Porbandar and seized a staggering 3,300 kilograms of narcotic drugs, on Tuesday. This seizure marks the largest-ever drug bust in the country in recent times.
The intercepted ship, crewed by five Pakistani nationals, carried a cache of narcotics that included 3,089 kilograms of charas, 158 kilograms of methamphetamine (meth), and 25 kilograms of morphine. The estimated international market value of these seized drugs exceeds ₹2,000 crore.
The Navy’s surveillance aircraft first spotted the suspicious dhow at sea near Porbandar, prompting the deployment of a mission-ready naval vessel. The coordinated efforts of the Navy and the NCB led to the successful apprehension of the vessel engaged in drug smuggling. The contraband, along with the arrested crew and the boat, have been handed over to law enforcement agencies at an Indian port, the Navy said in a statement.
#IndianNavy in a coordinated ops with Narcotics Control Bureau, apprehended a suspicious dhow carrying almost 3300Kgs contraband (3089 Kgs Charas, 158 Kgs Methamphetamine 25 Kgs Morphine).
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) February 28, 2024
The largest seizure of narcotics, in quantity in recent times.@narcoticsbureau pic.twitter.com/RPvzI1fdLW
The Union home minister, Amit Shah, also congratulated the Indian Navy, NCB, and the Gujarat Police for the “historic success”.
This major drug bust comes just a week after authorities seized 1,100 kilograms of mephedrone (commonly known as “meow meow”) worth ₹2,500 crore in raids across Pune and New Delhi.
