NCB, Indian Navy seize 'Crystal Meth' worth Rs 15,000 in Arabian Sea, 1 Pakistani detained

A Pakistani citizen has been apprehended on suspicion of possessing nearly 2700 kg of narcotics in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Kochi. The raid was carried out by the NCB, Indian Navy, and Coast Guard, which seized high-purity methamphetamine worth Rs 15000 crore in Indian waters on Saturday. The raid was conducted with the help of Marin Comandos and is considered to be the biggest consignment of contraband substances.

#WATCH | NCB & Navy conducted a successful operation in the Indian Ocean. It is the largest in terms of its monetary value. The monetary value is approx Rs 15,000 crore. It originated from the Chabahar port in Iran. The source of the drugs is Pakistan. The mother ship was being… pic.twitter.com/FvhuGTbXm0

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The raid was part of Operation Samundragupt, which targeted maritime illegal drug activities. The officials confirmed that the name of Haji Dawood and Sons was mentioned on the packages. Notably, the latest seizure accounts for the third such incident, wherein NCB seized drugs from the southern route in the last one and a half years.

Indian Navy, Coast Guard, NCB seize 'Crystal Meth' worth Rs 15,000 in Arabian Sea

"This is the third major seizure effected by NCB w.r.t. Maritime trafficking through the southern route in the last one and a half years. A total of approximately 3200 kg of methamphetamine, 500kg of heroin, and 529 kg of hashish have been seized in the operation so far. Apart from NCB operations, inputs were shared with Sri Lanka and the Maldives, which resulted in seizures. India’s leadership in the maritime security of the region The largest seizure of methamphetamine in the country," reads the press release of the NCB.

"The NCB and Navy conducted a successful operation in the Indian Ocean. It is the largest in terms of its monetary value. The monetary value is approximately Rs 15,000 crore. It originated at the Chabahar port in Iran. The source of the drugs is Pakistan," said Sanjay Kumar Singh, OPS, Deputy Director General, on the biggest drug haul. "The mother ship was stationed at different points in the sea. The smaller boats would come from various countries and collect consignments from the mother ships. The consignment was meant for Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and India. One Pakistani national has been arrested. We started Operation Samudragupta in February 2022, and as part of that operation, we have seized roughly 4,000 kg of various drugs," he added.

As per the press release of the NCB, "Inputs were shared with the Indian Navy, and an Indian Naval Ship was deployed in the vicinity. Based on this input, a large seagoing vessel was intercepted by the Navy. 134 sacks of suspected methamphetamine were recovered from the ship, and an Iranian national was also detained. The intercepted speedboat was occupied by one person, who is suspected to be a Pakistani national. The recovered sacks, Pakistani nationals, the intercepted boat, and some other items salvaged from the mother ship were brought to Mattancherry Wharf, Cochin, on May 13, 2023, and handed over to NCB for further action."

"NCB has initiated the seizure procedures, and the primary analysis is that all of the packets contain methamphetamine." As the seizure procedures are still underway, the exact quantity of methamphetamine recovered is not clear yet. However, from the number of packets recovered, we estimate it to be around 2500kg in a conservative estimate," it read further.

(With inputs from ANI)