New Delhi: In a coordinated effort, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Monday seized an Indian fishing boat in the Arabian Sea carrying 173 kg of narcotics and arrested two perpetrators on board. Acting on specific and credible intelligence provided by ATS Gujarat, ICG strategically deployed its assets ensuring comprehensive surveillance to intercept the suspected boat.
Subsequent investigations upon intercepting the boat confirmed the accuracy of the intelligence inputs, establishing the involvement of the fishing boat and its two perpetrators in smuggling drugs. Further investigation into the crew's involvement is underway.
The operation marked the twelfth such seizure by the ICG in the last three years, including the recent detention of a Pakistani fishing boat with a substantial quantity of drugs on board, highlighting the commitment of both agencies to safeguard the maritime borders and combating illicit activities at sea. The Pakistani boat along with its 14-member crew were apprehended. A total of 78 packets weighing 86 kg were recovered from the fishing boat.
In February, the Indian Navy and the NCB had apprehended a dhow off the Gujarat coast with five crew members and seized 3,300 kg of drugs from it, the largest quantity of narcotics seized in recent times, officials had said. The narcotic substances included 3,089 kilograms of charas.
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