Navy’s drug seizure shows links with Pakistani drug syndicates

The recent seizure of 200 kg of ‘high quality heroine’ by the Indian navy near the Gujarat coast shares its links with Pakistan-based networks, according to agencies.

The syndicate reportedly operates in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Indian intelligence agencies have been closely monitoring the activities of the Pakistan-based transnational narcotics trafficking syndicate “Haji Sali’.

In September this year, the intelligence agencies received inputs about an Iranian vessel working in the Indian Ocean region on behalf of the Pakistani network. Based on the leads, the Indian Navy intercepted the Iranian vessel on 29th  September approximately 500 nautical miles South West of Male, the capital of Maldives, and recovered 200kgs of ‘high-quality’ heroin. In the bust, six Iranian crew members were also apprehended.

The seizure was a culmination of meticulous tracking of the Iranian vessel and timely sharing of intelligence inputs with the Indian Navy, who intercepted the boat as it was on its way to collect its drug consignment.

This recent seizure is another example of an uptick in cross-border drug smuggling by Pakistani drug syndicates. On 8^th October, Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad and Indian Coast Guard seized heroin worth Rs. 350 crore from a Pakistani boat off the coast of Gujarat.

In 2022, according to sources in the security establishment, a total of 1335 kg of heroin has been seized in joint operations by Indian and Sri Lankan authorities in seven successful counter-narcotics operations on the high seas.