KOCHI: The Narcotics Control Bureau and the Indian Navy They seized around 2,500kg of methamphetamine from Indian waters off Kochi on Saturday. The seized drugs are worth around Rs 15,000 crore on the market and according to NCB officials, amount to the largest seizure by any Indian enforcement agency in terms of monetary value. A Pakistani national was arrested.
“We have carried out the Samudragupt operation to make Indian waters drug-free as directed by Home Minister Amit Shah. We have intel on a meth mothership passing through Indian waters. We intercepted it with the support of the Indian Navy. The exact amount of seizure could increase,” the NCB Deputy DG (Operations) said Sanjay Kumar Singh.
“It was not possible to seize the mother ship as it sank. We have arrested a Pakistani citizen in connection with the case,” Singh said at a news conference in Kochi on Saturday. “The vessels, which came from the Chabahar coast, were loaded with methamphetamine produced in Pakistan. Lanka and Maldives Normally, these drugs come from the ‘Crescent of Death’ (or Golden Crescent) — Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Singh added.
Approximately 134 bags of methamphetamine were recovered from the ship. The drugs seized were taken to Mattancherry pier and delivered to the NCB.
A total of 3,200kg of methamphetamine, 500kg of heroin and 529kg of hashish have so far been seized in Operation Samudragupt, which began in February 2022. NCB officials said inputs related to the seizure were shared with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
“The main objective of the operation was to gather useful information that could lead to the interdiction of ships carrying narcotics. To this end, the Navy and NCB team exchanged and collected intelligence from law enforcement agencies like DRI and ATS Gujarat and Indian Navy intelligence wing,” the official said. “We will continue Operation Samudragupt until when we don’t make sure Indian waters are drug-free,” Singh said.
Clock Watch: Rs 12,000 crore worth of drugs seized off Kochi coast in Narcotics Control Bureau and Indian Navy raid
“We have carried out the Samudragupt operation to make Indian waters drug-free as directed by Home Minister Amit Shah. We have intel on a meth mothership passing through Indian waters. We intercepted it with the support of the Indian Navy. The exact amount of seizure could increase,” the NCB Deputy DG (Operations) said Sanjay Kumar Singh.
“It was not possible to seize the mother ship as it sank. We have arrested a Pakistani citizen in connection with the case,” Singh said at a news conference in Kochi on Saturday. “The vessels, which came from the Chabahar coast, were loaded with methamphetamine produced in Pakistan. Lanka and Maldives Normally, these drugs come from the ‘Crescent of Death’ (or Golden Crescent) — Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Singh added.
Approximately 134 bags of methamphetamine were recovered from the ship. The drugs seized were taken to Mattancherry pier and delivered to the NCB.
A total of 3,200kg of methamphetamine, 500kg of heroin and 529kg of hashish have so far been seized in Operation Samudragupt, which began in February 2022. NCB officials said inputs related to the seizure were shared with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
“The main objective of the operation was to gather useful information that could lead to the interdiction of ships carrying narcotics. To this end, the Navy and NCB team exchanged and collected intelligence from law enforcement agencies like DRI and ATS Gujarat and Indian Navy intelligence wing,” the official said. “We will continue Operation Samudragupt until when we don’t make sure Indian waters are drug-free,” Singh said.
Clock Watch: Rs 12,000 crore worth of drugs seized off Kochi coast in Narcotics Control Bureau and Indian Navy raid
