NCB, Navy seize drugs worth Rs 2,000 crore off Gujarat coast

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Indian Navy have seized over 760 kg narcotics, including hashish, methamphetamine and heroin, worth about Rs 2,000 crore in the international market, from the high seas off Gujarat coast, officials said on Saturday.

The joint operation was carried out in the Arabian sea off the Gujarat coast, leading to the seizure of these drugs, an NCB official said.

'In a joint operation carefully planned by the NCB and the Indian Navy in the high seas, NCB officials have successfully seized around 529 kg of very high quality of hashish, 234 kg of finest quality of crystal methamphetamine and some quantity of heroin,' the anti-drug agency said in a release.

The cost of the seized drugs is around Rs 2,000 crore in the international market, it said.

'In a well-coordinated multi-agency operation at sea, the Narcotics Control Bureau #NCB, with the active support of #IndianNavy, successfully seized 800 kgs of #narcotics substances. Catch is estimated worth Rs 2,000 cr. #IndianNavy remains committed to tackling the scourge of narcotics proliferation,' the Indian Navy tweeted.

As per the release 'this is the first such operation in which the apprehension has been made in high seas'.

The NCB had received inputs about the trafficking of drugs in the high seas, and shared it with the Naval Intelligence Unit, leading to the joint operation, it said.

'Special units of NCB headquarters have been continuously working on various such intelligence inputs and it will be our endeavour to carry out more such operations in collaboration with Naval forces,' the NCB said.

The present seizure has dealt 'a telling blow to drug syndicates based out of our neighbouring country and using the maritime route for the proliferation of drugs in India and other countries', it said.

The consignment, packed in multiple bags, has been brought to the Porbandar coast in Gujarat.