Joint op by Indian Navy, NCB captures vessel carrying heroin worth Rs 1200 cr, Iranian crew held

Kochi: In a coordinated operation at sea, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Indian Navy apprehended a vessel carrying more than 200 kilograms of narcotic substance. The crew of the vessel included six Iranians, who were escorted to Kochi for further investigation on Friday. The seized substance is estimated to be worth Rs 1200 crore.

According to the NCB, the Iranian vessel received the consignment mid-sea after it was brought to them by a boat from Pakistan. The crew's mission was to deliver the illegal substance in India and Sri Lanka, ANI quoted NCB DDG for Operations Sanjay Kumar Singh as saying.

Pakistan-based Hadi Salim network, which is known for the supply of heroin, charas, methamphetamine is beleived to have handed over the drugs to the crew, he added.

Three smartphones were seized from the possession of the arrested men who claim to be hailing from the Konarak area of Iran. No evidence to link the crew to any terrorist group has been found during the preliminary stage of the investigation, DDG Sanjay Kumar Singh said.

According to the agency, the vessel's apprehension is significant not only in terms of quantity of the bust. It also signifies India's focus on collaborative efforts for disruption of the illegal narcotics smuggling routes.

These routes emanate from the Makran coast in Baluchistan and flow towards the countries of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The effort put in to successfully complete the operation reaffirms India's strong commitment and resolve to restrict its water being used for illegal activities, a statement said.