The capture of 218 packets of high-grade heroin from two fishing boats was the result of a combined operation by India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). Since May 7th, the ICG ship ‘Sujeet,’ together with its crew and DRI officials, has been keeping a close eye on India’s Exclusive Economic Zone in what has been described as an intelligence-driven operation. They apprehended the Indian fishing boats ‘Prince’ and ‘Little Jesus’ carrying the contraband off the shore of India’s western coast on May 18th.
Authorities initiated ‘Operation Khojbeen’ based on specific intelligence that two Indian boats would be traveling from the coast of Tamil Nadu and would acquire large quantities of drugs somewhere in the Arabian Sea during the second or third week of May. When questioned, the boats’ crew admitted to receiving large amounts of heroin while on the high seas and concealing it in their boats.
After being transferred to the Coast Guard Headquarters in Kochi, the boats were searched, and 218 packages of heroin were discovered, each containing 1kg of the narcotic. In the overseas market, the seized contraband is estimated to be worth Rs1526 crores (Rs 15.26 billion). The DRI is carrying out seizure procedures under the terms of the NDPS Act, 1985, it was said.
Further searches are also being conducted as part of the investigations, they added. This is the DRI’s fourth big narcotics bust in the last month, according to the agency. Previously, DRI recovered 205.6 kg of heroin from a commercial import consignment of gypsum powder at the Kandla port on April 20th, 396 kg of yarn (laced with heroin) at the Pipavav port on April 29th, and 62kg of heroin at the Air Cargo Complex, IGI New Delhi on May 10th, all of which are valued at approximately Rs. 2,500 crores (Rs 25 billion) in the international illicit market.
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