Two fishing vessels – Prince and Little Jesus – off the coast of the Lakshadweep islands were chased by Indian intelligence squads and the coast guard amid very rough seas last week.
When intercepted, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) unearthed 218 kilos of high-grade heroin, which it claims is worth a whopping Rs 1,526 crore in the international market.
The exercise was part of a plan by the DRI and the Indian Coast Guard to work closely to ensure illicit narcotics do not enter the Indian market.
Indian Coast Guards intercepting a fishing vessel. (Image: Reuters)
In similar – but off-sea – exercises, the DRI has recovered 205.6 kilos of heroin from a commercial import consignment of gypsum powder at the Kandla port in Gujarat on April 20, around 396 kilos of thread (laced with heroin) at Pipavav port in Gujarat on April 29, and 62 kilos of heroin at Air Cargo Complex at Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi on May 10.
“The total value of these seizures amount to approximately Rs 2,500 crore in the international illicit drug market," the DRI said.
Since April 2021, the DRI has seized over 3,800 kilos of heroin valued at approximately Rs 26,000 crore. This is apart from the multiple seizures of heroin made from air passengers.
As per a report by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) published last month, the seizure of heroin shot up from 3,231 kilos in 2019 to 3,838 kilos in 2020. The report also mentioned that seizure of drugs, including heroin, in the first year of Covid was the highest since 2016.
Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard recovered about 3 tonnes of narcotics worth approximately Rs 6,200 crore in multiple operations over three years. One of the notable seizures included that of two Sir Lankan vessels – Shenaya Duwa and Ravihansi – which were apprehended with drugs, AK-47s and pistols, an Iranian boat Jumma, and Pakistani boats – Al Huseni and Al Haj.
First Published: May 25, 2022 3:19 PM IST
