A Pakistani drug trafficking network is using Iran's Chabahar port, where New Delhi has major stakes, to smuggle drugs into India.
Acting on a specific intelligence received by Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), a Sri Lankan fishing vessel Ravihansi was intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard on March 25 in Indian waters off the coast of Vizhinjam, Kerala. The vessel was brought to Vizhinjam harbour and NCB Chennai Zonal Unit took over the custody of the boat and seized 300.323 kg of Heroin along with five AK-47 Rifles and 1000 rounds of 9mm ammunition. A number of incriminating documents were also seized from the occupants of the vessel.
The Heroin was found concealed inside the water tank of the vessel in 301 packets. Image of a flying horse was found on all the heroin packets, which is a usual practice of drug trafficking syndicates to brand their drugs. Further, investigations so far indicate that an unknown vessel carried the Heroin and arms consignment from Chabahar Port, Iran and handed over the same to Sri Lankan fishing boat Ravihansi in the high seas near Lakshadweep. Ravihansi was then trafficking the consignment to Sri Lanka when the Indian authorities intercepted it.
All the six Sri Lankan crew members namely, L. Y. Nandana, HKGB Dassppriya, AHS Gunasekara, SA Senarath, T. Ranasingha and D. Nissanka present in the boat were arrested on March 27 by NCB and remanded to judicial custody, informed Amit Ghawate, the Zonal Director of the bureau in Chennai.
The intelligence inputs and the investigations so far indicate that a Pakistan-based drug trafficking network is involved in the current seizure. There have been seizures of huge quantities of Heroin in the Arabian Sea by both Indian as well as other enforcement agencies which are believed to have trafficked by the same network. This seizure also unveils the nexus between narcotics trafficking and extremist elements.
Iran’s Chabahar port can be a natural gateway for drugs sourced from Afghanistan, a global supplier of narcotics, and routed by Pakistani drug syndicates. Apart from developing a few births at the Shaheed Beheshti terminal of the Chabahar port, India has also developed a strategic road from the port that heads into Afghanistan.
This was the second major anti-drug trafficking operation undertaken by the ICG on India's west coast last month.
On March 5, ICG ships and aircraft had apprehended Sri Lankan boat 'Akarsha Duwa' with six crew members in the same region off Minicoy Isles.
The crew had confessed to carrying 200 kg of high-grade heroin and 60 kg hashish which they jettisoned in the Arabian Sea upon sighting the ICG patrol ships.
Prior to these, in November 2020, the ICG had intercepted Sri Lankan vessel 'Shenaya Duwa' off Kanyakumari in the Indian Ocean with 120 kg narcotics valued at Rs 1,000 crore and five weapons.
"The past one year has proved to be a big setback for drug traffickers at sea as ICG has successfully seized about 1.6 tons of narcotics valued at approximately Rs 4,900 crore. The total drug haul done by ICG since inception amounts to Rs 10,952 crore," a spokesperson for the agency said.
