Global drug cartels resort to alternative sea routes. In what has raised concerns is that, today a boat with five PAK nationals with 35 kilograms of narcotics (Heroin) in possession apprehended by ICG and Gujarat ATS over a joint OP. It has already been reported that, in recent two years, antinational elements involved in narcotics smuggling always attempts to infiltrate contraband drug, Heroin, through Gujarat coastline.
As a part of their policing tasks, Gujarat Police and Indian Coast Guard always strives to thwart off any such attempts and have conducted various operations to nip the menace in the bud.
As a step to bolster todays operation Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Gujarat relied on a credible int that they had on an illegal consignment of narcotic drug, Heroin, is going to be smuggled in Gujarat through Coast.
The information further revealed that the consignment is being sent on the Pakistani fishing boat named, JamJam from Pakistan. ATS Officers approached Indian Coast Guard and a joint operation was launched to apprehend the smugglers and seize the contraband.
A team of ATS and ICG jointly embarked on the operation with Indian Coast Guard Fast Interceptor Boats (IBs) at Jakhau, Kutch. Commandos of Marine Task Force were kept in boats in Indian waters to help in apprehending the smugglers.
Continuous search operation was undertaken near the suspected location point, located North West of Jakhau, which was indicated in the information available with ATS Gujarat. A suspicious Pakistani boat was identified at the said location in Indian waters.
ICG IBs stealthily started tracking the boat, and at the opportune moment, officers and personnel of ICG IBs along with ATS Officers successfully boarded the suspicious boat. Search of the suspicious boat revealed 35 packets of contraband heroin on Pakistani boat JamJam.
The approximate weight of confiscated contraband is 35 Kg valuing Rs 175 crores (approx) in international market. The interrogation of the apprehended accused persons is in progress jointly by all the agencies.
*Highlights*
The details of the 05 Pak Nationals apprehended from Pakistani boat named JamJam are as follows: –
(a) Anees Isa Bhatti, age 30 years, r/o Baba Zajeera, Karachi, Pakistan
(b) Ismail Mohammed Kachchi, , age 50 years, r/o Kemadi, Beet Zajeera, Karachi, Pakistan
(c) Ashhraf Usman Kutchhi, age 42 years, r/o Kemadi, Beet Zajeera, Karachi, Pakistan
(d) Kareem Abdulla Kutchhi, age 37 years, r/o Beet Zajeera, Karachi, Pakistan
(e) Abubaqar Ashraf Sumra, age 55 years, r/o Beet Zajeera, Karachi, Pakistan
The author is a Delhi-based independent contributor to print and online publications