311kg crystal meth, dumped into Arabian Sea by Pak smugglers, seized in joint op

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), in a joint operation, have seized 311 kg of drugs worth ₹1,800 crore which were dumped into the Arabian Sea by Pakistani smugglers who fled across the international maritime boundary (IMBL) on being chased, a senior officer said on Monday.

The contraband seized near the Porbandar coast is suspected to be methamphetamine, popularly known as “ice” or “crystal meth” in the international market due to its crystalline appearance, and has been handed over to the ATS for further probe, the ICG said in a statement.

ATS deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Sunil Joshi said the operation was launched based on specific intelligence about a drug transfer planned between a Pakistani boat and an Indian vessel from Tamil Nadu.

“Our team received a tip-off that a Pakistan-based drugs mafia with call sign ‘Fida’ had loaded around 400 kg of narcotics onto a fishing boat from Pasni Port,” Joshi said, adding the contraband was to be transferred mid-sea to another vessel arriving from Tamil Nadu between 8 pm on April 12 and 4 am on April 13.

The ATS alerted the Coast Guard, which deployed a patrol ship to intercept the suspicious boat. At dawn on April 13, the ICG spotted the Pakistani vessel near the IMBL.

“When the security forces approached, the Pakistani crew panicked and threw the drugs into the sea. The narcotics were packed in 311 waterproof packets, each weighing 1 kg, inside blue drums. The smugglers then fled toward Pakistani waters,” Joshi said. Despite a chase by the Coast Guard, they escaped across the maritime boundary, he added.

A case under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered.

Union home minister Amit Shah termed it a “monumental feat” in the Modi government’s pursuit of building a drug-free India. “…This operation, in the seas, is a shining example of the success of the Modi govt’s whole-of-the-government approach to rooting out the evil of narcotics,” he said on X.

Gujarat’s battle with drugs

Police officers said Gujarat’s 1,600-kilometre coastline, proximity to international shipping lanes, and bustling fishing industry had made it an ideal transit hub for cartels targeting India and beyond. Many of these trafficking operations are believed to originate in the Golden Crescent region, particularly Afghanistan, where illicit drug production has surged in recent years.

According to a Gujarat ATS official, the state has been a repeated target for narcotics smuggling operations via fishing boats across maritime borders since 2018.

The ATS, along with central agencies, has consistently cracked down on such attempts. Since October 2021, Gujarat authorities have seized 87,607 kg of narcotics worth ₹16,155 crore, including drugs from maritime operations, land busts, airports, and individuals, leading to over 2,500 arrests, according to the second unnamed official quoted earlier.

Officials said the drug busts in Gujarat have intercepted narcotics primarily originating from Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, with additional sources in South American countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, as well as Thailand. These consignments targeted distribution in states such as Delhi, Punjab, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, and international destinations including Sri Lanka, Australia, and the United States.

In 2024 alone, over 4,860 kg of narcotics including 700 kg of methamphetamine caught off Porbandar in November, were seized. In October 2024, the ATS and Coast Guard intercepted a Pakistani boat carrying 50 kg of heroin worth ₹350 crore near the IMBL, apprehending six Pakistani nationals.