The Narcotics Control Bureau and the Indian Navy seized around 2,500 kg of methamphetamine from Indian waters off Kochi. The seized drugs are worth around £1.5 billion in the market value and according to NCB officials amount to the largest seizure by any Indian enforcement agency in terms of monetary value. A Pakistani national was arrested.
“We have been carrying out Operation Samudragupt to make Indian waters drug-free as per directions from home minister Amit Shah. We got inputs regarding a mother ship carrying methamphetamine passing through Indian waters. We intercepted it with the support of the Indian Navy. The exact quantity of the seizure may go up,” said NCB deputy DG (operations) Sanjay Kumar Singh.
“The mother vessel couldn’t be seized as it sank. We have arrested a Pakistani national in connection with the case,” Singh said. “The vessels, originating from the Chabahar coast, were laden with methamphetamine made in Pakistan. The consignment was intended for sale in India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Normally, these drugs come from the ‘Death Crescent’ (or Golden Crescent) - Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Singh added.
Since Operation Samudragupt began in February 2022, 3,200 kg of methamphetamine, 500 kg of heroin, and 529 kg of hashish have been found. NCB officials said inputs regarding the seizure have been shared with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.