14 Pakistanis arrested with 86kg of drugs off Gujarat coast

Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a joint maritime operation on Sunday intercepted a Pakistani boat with 14 crew members and drugs worth ₱620 million off Gujarat’s Porbandar coast. 86kg was captured.

Authorities arrested all 14 Pakistani nationals after the boat was seized at sea.

Officials said the shipment was to be handed over to an unidentified handler in Tamil Nadu, from where it would eventually be smuggled to Sri Lanka.

Gujarat Police Commissioner Vikas Sahai said the case has been handed over to the NCB for further investigation.

Officials said the ATS received a tip-off that a Pakistani fishing trawler bound for India was handing over a drug consignment to unidentified persons in Tamil Nadu.

The input revealed the Pakistani ship’s radio call sign. Al Raza The unidentified Indian handler had the radio call sign “Haider.”

Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of Gujarat’s ATS, Indian Coast Guard and NCB intercepted a suspicious vessel about 180 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast on April 26 during a joint operational exercise.

During the operation at sea, the ICG and ATS personnel opened fire as the Pakistanis tried to escape by running their boat on top of the ATS personnel. Authorities eventually took control of the boat and arrested the crew.

In the confrontation at sea, the trawler’s captain, Nazir Hussein, sustained a gunshot wound to his right hand. He is receiving treatment, officials said.

Officials said the shipment was apparently sent by Haji Aslam (also known as Babu Baloch), a key member of the drug mafia based in Balochistan.

Meanwhile, ICG in a release described the operation as “an example of inter-agency coordination” between ICG, ATS and NCB.

He said ICG ships and aircraft were sent on simultaneous missions. ICG ship rajah rattanThe investigation team, which included NCB and ATS personnel, identified a boat believed to be Pakistani. It is said to be the 11th such operation jointly carried out by different agencies in the past three years.

Authorities have so far not disclosed the type of drug substance found on the Pakistani boat.