AHMEDABAD, SEP 19
An Iranian boat with seven crew members and a huge consignment of heroin was apprehended off the Gujarat coast in an operation carried out by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Indian Coast Guard, a Defence official said on Sunday.
“On an intelligence based joint act, @IndianCoastGuard with ATS #Gujarat apprehended #Iranian boat in #Indian waters with 07 crew carrying #drugs. The boat is brought to the nearest port for further rummaging and investigations,” a defence spokesperson in Gujarat said on their Twitter handle.
On an intelligence based joint act @IndiaCoastGuard with ATS #Gujarat apprehended #Iranian boat in #Indian waters with 07 crew carrying #DRUGS
is brought to nearest Port for further rummaging & investigations@DefenceMinIndia @AjaybhattBJP4UK @Bhupendrapbjp @sandeshnews pic.twitter.com/YvMzI3IuMh
— PRO Defence Gujarat (@DefencePRO_Guj) September 19, 2021
Estimated 30 to 50 kg of the contraband, worth about Rs 150 to Rs 250 crore in the international markets were confiscated from the boat which was seized during the operation carried out on Saturday night.
According to the officials, the exact amount of the drug present in the vessel will be known after its rummaging.
The seven crew members, all Iranian nationals, were apprehended, the officials said.
According to Gujarat ATS DIG Himanshu Shukla, the operation was launched on the basis of an information that an attempt was being made to smuggle in heroin through the sea route.
“A joint operation was launched with the Indian Coast Guard, and the Iranian boat and its seven crew members were apprehended. We presume that somewhere between 30 and 50 kg of heroin, worth Rs 150 crore to Rs 250 crore, was loaded on the boat. The consignment may be more, as the exact amount can be known only after rummaging of the boat,” Shukla said.
