218 kg of heroin worth Rs 1,526 crore seized in mid-sea drug bust off India's west coast

New Delhi, May 21: In a major breakthrough, a joint operation was launched by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) intercepted two Indian ships off the coast of the Lakshadweep islands and seized 218 kg of heroin from the vessels.

 

An operation was launched by the DRI after it received specific intelligence over a period of several months that two Indian boats would be sailing from the coast of Tamil Nadu and would receive narcotics in huge quantity somewhere in the Arabian sea, during the second to third week of May 2022.

 

Accordingly, Operation Khojbeen was launched on May 7, under which Coast Guard ship Sujeet, with DRI officials onboard, maintained a close watch near the Exclusive Economic Zone. After several days of continuous search and monitoring amidst very rough seas, two suspected boats Prince and Little Jesus were noticed moving towards India. Both the Indian boats were intercepted by officers of ICG and DRI on May 18 off the coast of Lakshadweep Islands.

 

On questioning, some of the crew members confessed that they had received heroin in huge quantities on the high seas, which they had concealed in both the boats. The two boats were escorted to Kochi, where a thorough search resulted in the recovery of 218 packets of high-grade heroin whose value in the international market is estimated to be around Rs 1,526 crore.

 

 

In the recent past, ICG and DRI have undertaken some significant anti-drug trafficking operations. This is the fourth major drug bust by the DRI in the past one month. Earlier, DRI recovered 205.6 kg of heroin from a commercial import consignment of gypsum powder at the Kandla port on April 20, 396 kg of thread (laced with heroin) at Pipavav port on April 29, and 62 kg of heroin at Air Cargo Complex, IGI New Delhi on May 10, totally valued at approximately Rs 2500 crore in the international market.

 

Since April 2021, DRI has seized more than 3,800 kg of heroin valued at approximately Rs. 26,000 crores in the international illicit market. In addition, more than 350 kg of cocaine valued at approximately Rs. 3,500 crores in the international illicit market were seized by the DRI during this period, including the largest haul of 303 kg Cocaine from a container at Tuticorin port in April 2021.

 

 

ICG on the other hand has recovered about 3 tons of narcotics worth approx. Rs. 6,200 Crores in different operations in the past 3 years bringing the total drug haul till date to Rs. 12,206 crores. The notable cases include apprehension of Sri Lankan boat Shenaya Duwa and Ravihansi, both of which were apprehended with drugs and arms viz. AK-47 and pistols, Iranian boat Jumma, Pak boat Al Huseni and Al Haj recently.

 

The joint crusade of ICG and DRI against transnational drug trafficking networks has been successful in disrupting the inflow of drugs in the country through maritime routes.