INDIA: On Thursday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Indian Coast Guard, and Indian Navy conducted a joint operation and seized 200 kg of heroin from an Iranian Dhow 1200 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi in Kerala.
The six arrested from the Dhow include four from Iran, and the identity of the other two has yet to be established, although they are suspected to be Pakistanis. They did not carry identity cards, the NCB officials said.
During the search, the Navy Team recovered heroin from the boat. Following this, the boat was taken to Mattancherry, Kochi. The accused are being questioned for more details. The drugs will be handed over to the Kerala coastal police. The operation was based on a tip-off from international agencies.
The contraband was allegedly brought from Afghanistan to Kerala by an international drug cartel, and the seized substances were worth crores in the drug market.It may be recalled that in May, a joint team of NCB and DRI seized 218 kg of heroin off the Lakshadweep coast.
The Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and other agencies have increased patrolling near the Lakshadweep coast after intelligence reports about the cartels eyeing the coast for drug smuggling.
DRI’s operation
In another operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 16 kg of heroin valued at Rs 80 crore from a passenger at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, on Tuesday. A passenger travelling from Malawi, an African country, to Mumbai via Qatar was trying to smuggle narcotic drugs into the country.
The passenger had hidden the contraband in the cavities of a trolley bag. Based on the information provided by him, the Ghanaian woman was subsequently nabbed from a hotel in Delhi that was to take delivery of the drugs. The accused have been booked under the NDPS Act.
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