Six crew members arrested in connection to cocaine smuggling.
In a near 10- day operation involving “stealthy” trailing, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has seized huge quantity of drugs including, 100kg heroin sourced from Pakistan along with 20 small packets of synthetic drugs and guns from a Sri Lankan boat.
According to ICG, they had received credible intelligence from the agencies on an illegal consignment of narcotics smuggling by Anti- National Elements. The operation started since November 17, on the high seas off Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu Coast. ICG ships and two aircrafts had been carrying out extensive air-sea coordinated searches for the suspected boat in the most probable area as per the intelligence input.
In a statement issued by the Indian Coast Guard, said, it has arrested six crew members in the connection and, seized five 9mm pistols and a Thuraya satellite phone from the accused on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, coast guard officials said patrol vessel ICGS Vaibhav intercepted the Sri Lankan boat “Shenaya Duwa”.“Joint interrogation of the crew by all security and intelligence agencies, including by the Narcotics Control Bureau, will be conducted after Shenaya Duwa reaches Thoothukudi,” ICGS Vaibhav said in a statement earlier as now interrogation is in progress.
A release by ICG said, “ICGS Vaibhav stealthy followed the boat and boarded it at the opportune moment at about 10NM (nautical miles) off Kanyakumari. The drugs and weapons unearthed were hidden in an unapproachable location in the boat. During initial questioning, the crew members revealed that the drugs were transferred onto the Sri Lankan vessel Shenaya Duwa on the high seas by a Pakistani dhow from Karachi
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