India Seizes 526 Kg Meth, Heroin Worth $312 Million From Iranian Boat; Five Pakistanis Detained

NEW DELHI, Sept 30: The Indian Coast Guard, in a joint operation with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), seized 526 kilograms of methamphetamine and heroin worth more than Rs 3,000 crore ($3.5 billion) from an Iranian boat in the Arabian Sea, officials said Wednesday.

Five Pakistani nationals operating the vessel were also detained during the operation conducted near Lakshadweep on September 25, the Coast Guard said.

Acting on intelligence inputs, Coast Guard units conducted sea and aerial surveillance and tracked the suspicious dhow before launching a hot pursuit and boarding the vessel west of Lakshadweep.

The seized contraband included high-grade methamphetamine and heroin, officials said.

The boat, its crew and the seized drugs were brought to Mumbai under armed escort for joint interrogation and further legal proceedings.

The operation was carried out in coordination with the Gujarat ATS, which also confirmed the detention of the five Pakistani nationals and was expected to brief the media separately on the seizure.

The operation comes amid intensified efforts by Indian security agencies to curb transnational drug trafficking through maritime routes.

The Coast Guard said the seizure demonstrated its maritime surveillance and interdiction capabilities and would help disrupt the financial networks of international drug syndicates and prevent synthetic drugs from reaching India's mainland.