The Indian Coast Guard and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) seized 115 kg of cocaine worth an estimated ₹1,150 crore during a joint operation off the Mundra coast, officials said on Wednesday, according to news agency PTI.
The joint operation was conducted on the intervening night of May 25 and 26 after ATS Gujarat received specific intelligence inputs about narcotics being smuggled through the maritime route, an official release said.
Gujarat DGP Dr KLN Rao said that a ship was intercepted at the outer anchorage of Mundra Port, where six bags containing around 118 kg of cocaine were seized. He said two foreign nationals had brought the consignment on the ship for delivery to a Tanzanian national and a Ugandan national in Delhi.
Rao said three people had been taken into custody and were being interrogated. He added that investigators had also seized a high-communication satellite phone and an Apple tag, from which further information was expected to be extracted.
According to Rao, the ship had reached Mundra after passing through Brazil, several Latin American countries, Mexico, the United States and Karachi.
How ATS and Coast Guard tracked, intercepted and seized consignment
TL;DR: During the operation, the joint team spotted several bags being thrown overboard from the vessel under the cover of darkness.
ICG interceptor boats carrying ATS personnel launched a massive search operation in the Mundra anchorage area after suspicious activity was detected onboard a container vessel, identified as MV Europe, anchored nearly five nautical miles off the Mundra coast, the release said.
During the operation, the joint team spotted several bags being thrown overboard from the vessel under the cover of darkness. Acting swiftly despite poor visibility, Indian Coast Guard and ATS personnel moved to the spot and recovered five bags from the sea, according to the release.
The vessel has been brought to port for further investigation, and joint probes by the ICG, ATS Gujarat and other agencies are underway, officials said.
This was the 15th successful anti-narcotics operation jointly conducted by the ICG and ATS Gujarat in the last five years, they added.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
