Gujarat: Record 3,300 kg drugs seized from boat in Arabian sea; 5 foreigners held

In the highest-ever offshore capture till date, around 3,300 kg of narcotic drugs were seized from an Iranian boat in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast late on Tuesday. Five foreigners were held in the joint operation that was conducted by the Navy, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).

The boat and its crew were brought to Porbandar port and handed over to local police.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah dubbed the mission a “historic success” and a testament of his government’s “unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free.”

The operation was undertaken in the Arabian Sea along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with the Navy saying on X that it deployed its P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, a warship and helicopters to apprehend the “suspicious dhow carrying almost 3,300 kg of contraband (3,089 kg of Charas, 158 kg of Methamphetamine and 25 kg of Morphine).”

“This seizure of drugs is by far the largest in terms of quantity, & was possible through #collaborative efforts of #IndianNavy’s #missiondeployed assets with the NCB,” the Navy social media handle post said.