AHEMADABAD: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Coast Guard have seized 300 kg of drugs valued at Rs 1,800 crore which were dumped into the Arabian Sea by smugglers before fleeing across the international boundary line, officials said on Monday.
The seized contraband is suspected to be methamphetamine and has been handed over to the ATS for further probe, a release by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said.
The ATS and the Coast Guard carried out the joint operation near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the Arabian Sea off Gujarat on the intervening night of April 12 and 13, said the release.
Upon seeing the approaching Coast Guard ship, the smugglers, who were on a boat, dumped the contraband into the sea and fled across the IMBL, it said.
“In an overnight operation on April 12-13, the Indian Coast Guard undertook an intelligence based anti-narcotics operation at the sea jointly with the Gujarat ATS. More than 300 kg of narcotics approximately valued at Rs 1,800 crore have been seized. The seized drug is suspected to be methamphetamine,” the release said.
Based on an input from the Gujarat ATS, an ICG ship from the Coast Guard Region (West) was diverted to that area in the sea near IMBL where a suspected boat’s presence was detected, it said.
“The ICG ship identified a suspect boat despite pitch dark night. On realising the approaching ship, the suspect boat dumped its narcotics consignment in the sea before it started fleeing towards the IMBL. The alert ICG ship deployed its sea boat immediately for recovery of the jettisoned consignment whilst commencing a hot chase of the suspect boat,” it said.
The proximity of the international boundary line and the initial separation between the Coast Guard ship and the boat at the time of its detection helped the boat to evade interception before it crossed over the IMBL within a short time, said the release.
Later, the Coast Guard team, after a thorough search in the tough night conditions, recovered the narcotics which were dumped into the sea, it said.
“The seized narcotics have been brought to Porbandar by the ICG ship for further investigation,” the release said.
The collaboration of the Coast Guard and the ATS, which has led to 13 such successful law enforcement operations in recent years, “reaffirms the synergy for national objective”, it added.