Heroin worth Rs 1200 crore seized from vessel in Kochi, 6 arrested
On Friday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Indian Navy conducted a coordinated operation to arrest an Iranian fishing vessel carrying almost 200 kilos of heroin valued at over Rs 1,200 crore. The NCB reported the arrest of six Iranian nationals.
"The vessel and 200 kg of heroin have now been confiscated by the NCB. Additionally, the six Iranian crew members were detained in accordance with pertinent provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985 "said Sanjay Kumar Singh, the NCB's deputy director general for operations.
"The vessel and 200 kg of heroin have now been confiscated by the NCB. Additionally, the six Iranian crew members were detained in accordance with pertinent provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985 "said Sanjay Kumar Singh, the NCB's deputy director general for operations.
Co-ordinated action @ sea b/w #NCB & @indiannavy
— NCB INDIA (@narcoticsbureau) October 7, 2022
👉200kg Afghan Heroin worth Rs 1200 Cr seized
👉Origin of the drug: Pakistan
👉Iranian dhow seized
👉6 Iranian crew members apprehended in Cochin#MissionDrugFreeIndia @PMOIndia @HMOIndia @BhallaAjay26 @PIBHomeAffairs pic.twitter.com/xKFvgawc4M
According to Singh, who spoke at a news briefing, the suspects admitted under questioning that they are from the Iranian province of Konarak. He added that the people who were arrested had three smartphones taken from them, but no links to terrorist organisations had yet been discovered.
Sanjay Kumar Singh also informed that the Hadi Salim network in Pakistan, which also provides charas and methamphetamine to India and other nations in the Indian Ocean, supplied the heroin shipment.
According to the NCB, the ship was meant to deliver the cargo to a Sri Lankan vessel.
Singh claimed that the accused attempted to throw the shipment into the water as well as jump into the water in an effort to flee.
According to the NCB, during the past several years, there has been a dramatic upsurge in the trafficking of Afghan heroin into India via the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
Over the past few years, Singh stated, "the southern route for trafficking of heroin from Afghanistan, i.e. from Afghanistan to Makran coast of Iran and Pakistan and then onward to various nations in the Indian Ocean Region including India, has acquired significance."