Coast Guard, Gujarat ATS seize ₹3,000 crore drugs from vessel; five Pakistani nationals held

The Indian Coast Guard, in a joint operation with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), has seized 526 kg of methamphetamine and heroin valued at more than ₹3,000 crore from a vessel in the Arabian Sea, and detained five Pakistani nationals who were operating it, officials said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Coast Guard said the seizure was made near Lakshadweep on September 25, following intelligence inputs about a suspicious dhow. Its ships and aircraft carried out sea-and-air surveillance, tracked the vessel, launched a hot pursuit and boarded it west of Lakshadweep. The contraband seized was described as high-grade methamphetamine and heroin.

The vessel, its crew and the seized drugs were brought to Mumbai under armed escort for joint interrogation and further legal proceedings, the Coast Guard said. The Gujarat ATS confirmed the detention of the five Pakistani nationals and said it would brief the media on the operation later in the day. The statement did not give a break-up of the two drugs seized, nor the vessel's point of origin.

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

The Coast Guard did not allege the involvement of any state in the consignment, and the nationality of the crew does not by itself establish such a link. The detained men have not been convicted of any offence. Under Indian law they are presumed innocent until proven otherwise, and the investigation will determine the facts of the case.

The seizure comes as Indian security agencies have stepped up efforts to curb transnational drug trafficking along the maritime route. The Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean region are used by organised syndicates to move narcotics produced in one region towards markets in another, often aboard small dhows that are difficult to monitor routinely. Indian agencies have reported several large hauls of methamphetamine, hashish and heroin from vessels in these waters in recent years, some of them in coordination with Sri Lanka, the Maldives and other partners.

Synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine are hard to intercept because they are compact, easy to conceal and command high prices, which makes them attractive to trafficking networks. Officials have said that proceeds from such consignments are funnelled into other illegal activities, and that seizures, however large, are only one part of a wider effort that includes tighter port checks, financial investigations and cross-border cooperation.

India's maritime zones are patrolled by the Coast Guard, which works with the Navy, Customs and state police agencies in narcotics cases. Cases of this kind are usually investigated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, which provides for stringent punishment, including the death penalty in limited repeat-offence cases. The vessel, its crew and the seized drugs are now in the custody of the investigating agencies.

The Coast Guard said the operation reflected its commitment to preventing illicit activity in India's maritime zones. Investigations are continuing, officials said.