Five Pak nationals caught with Rs 175 Cr worth narcotics in Indian waters

New Delhi: Global drug cartels resort to alternative sea routes. In what has raised concerns is that, on January 6th, a boat with five PAK nationals carrying 35 kilograms of narcotics (Heroin) were apprehended by ICG and Gujarat ATS over a joint OP. It has already been reported that, in recent two years, anti-national elements involved in narcotics smuggling attempts to infiltrate contraband drug, Heroin, through Gujarat coastline.

As a part of their policing tasks, Gujarat Police and Indian Coast Guard thwarted attempts and have conducted various operations to nip the menace.

As a step to bolster Monday's operation headed by Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Gujarat relied on credible intelligence that they had on an illegal consignment of a narcotic drug, Heroin, is likely to be smuggled through Gujarat through Coast.

The intelligence gathered on the ground, revealed that the consignment is being sent on the Pakistani fishing boat named, 'JamJam' from Pakistan. ATS Officers approached the Indian Coast Guard, and a joint operation was launched to apprehend the smugglers and seize the contraband.

A team of ATS and ICG jointly embarked on the operation with Indian Coast Guard Fast Interceptor Boats (IBs) at Jakhau, Kutch. The Commandos of the Marine Task Force was kept in boats in the Indian waters to help apprehend the smugglers.

A continuous search operation was undertaken near the suspected location point, located North West of Jakhau, which was indicated in the information available with ATS Gujarat. A suspicious Pakistani boat was identified at the said location in Indian waters.

ICG IBs stealthily started tracking the boat, and at the opportune moment, officers and personnel of ICG IBs along with ATS Officers successfully boarded the suspicious boat. A search of the suspicious boat revealed 35 packets of contraband heroin on Pakistani boat JamJam.

The approximate weight of confiscated contraband is 35 Kg valuing Rs 175 crores (approx) in the international market. The interrogation of the apprehended accused persons is in progress jointly by all the agencies.

The details of the 05 Pak Nationals apprehended from Pakistani boat named JamJam are as follows

(a) Anees Isa Bhatti

(b) Ismail Mohammed Kachchi

(c) Ashhraf Usman Kutchhi

(d) Kareem Abdulla Kutchhi

(e) Abubaqar Ashraf Sumra