Rs 1,800 crore meth haul: Drug boat escapes across International Maritime Boundary Line; ICG recovers cache from sea

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), in a joint overnight operation with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), seized over 300 kg of methamphetamine worth approximately Rs1,800 crore.

Based on the intelligence input from Gujarat ATS, an ICG ship from the Coast Guard Region (West), which was on multi-mission deployment off North Maharashtra/South Gujarat area, diverted and intercepted an attempted transhipment near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

When people aboard the boat realised that the ICG ship was approaching them, they dumped the drugs in the sea before starting to flee towards the IMBL. The ICG pursued it.

The ICG ship deployed its sea boat to recover the drugs that were dumped into the sea.

ALSO READ: Keel laid for India's new coastal defenders; next-generation offshore patrol vessels set to enhance maritime security

“The proximity of IMBL and the initial separation between the ICG ship and the boat at the time of its detection helped the perpetrator to evade interception before it crossed over the IMBL within a short time The crossover resulted in termination of the hot chase and precluded the ICG ship to apprehend the suspect boat,” the defence ministry stated in a release.

Meanwhile, braving the darkness, the ICG team recovered the sizable amount of the drugs that were dumped into the sea.

The drugs have been brought to Porbandar by the ICG ship for further investigations.

The jointness of ICG and Gujarat ATS, which has led to 13 such successful law enforcement operations in recent years, reaffirms the synergy for national objectives, the defence ministry stated.

Maritime