The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has informed the Supreme Court that the 2,988 kg heroin consignment seized at Adani Group’s Mundra Port in Gujarat in 2021 was not just a case of narcotics smuggling. According to the Indian Express report, the consignment was part of a broader international conspiracy to fund terror operations by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
LeT involvement in drug seizure case
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, from the NIA, told the court that a source has disclosed how Lateef Rather, a slain operative of the LeT proxy outfit The Resistance Front (TRF) used to coordinate with drug traffickers from Pakistan and Afghanistan. ”The money was used for procuring weapons and ammunition for new recruits of Laskar-e-Taiba,” the NIA quoted the witness as saying.
The heroin was trafficked to India under the tag of legal imports like bituminous coal and semi-processed talc. According to The Indian Express report, Bhati mentioned that six consignments were imported by the same consignors, and the final one was seized at Mundra. The drugs were allegedly sent through Bandar Abbas port in Iran with the assistance of Iranian and Pakistani intermediaries.
Harpreet Singh bail’s plea oppposed
Opposing the bail plea of accused Harpreet Singh alias Kabir Talwar, the ASG stated that he had received shipments of dates and perfumes, which were ”actually the consideration he is getting in kind for carrying out this business.”
While mentioning the suspicious death of a retired customs officer who had given clearance to an earlier consignment, Bhati highlighted, ”When we examined him…he said he would… make a statement and in the night, he was found dead.”
Bhati also pointed out the seriousness of the case and told the court, ”This is the biggest the country has ever seen…the international price of this is Rs 21,000 crore.”
As per the report, the Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on Talwar’s bail plea.