Iranian boat with huge drug stock, 7 crew members apprehended off Gujarat coast

An Iranian boat with seven crew members and a huge consignment of heroin was apprehended in Indian waters off the Gujarat coast, in an operation carried out jointly by the state Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Coast Guard, officials said on Sunday.

The boat, seized during the operation conducted on Saturday night, carried an estimated 30 to 50 kg of the contraband, worth about Rs 150 to Rs 250 crore in the international markets, but the exact amount of the drug present in the vessel will be known after its rummaging, they said.

The seven crew members, all Iranian nationals, were apprehended, the officials said.

"On an intelligence based joint act, @IndianCoastGuard with ATS #Gujarat apprehended #Iranian boat in #Indian waters with 07 crew carrying #drugs. The boat is brought to the nearest port for further rummaging and investigations," a defence PRO of Gujarat said on their official Twitter handle.

Gujarat ATS DIG Himanshu Shukla told PTI that the operation was launched on the basis of an information that an attempt was being made to smuggle in heroin through the sea route.

"A joint operation was launched with the Indian Coast Guard, and the Iranian boat and its seven crew members were apprehended. We presume that somewhere between 30 and 50 kg of heroin, worth Rs 150 crore to Rs 250 crore, was loaded on the boat. The consignment may be more, as the exact amount can be known only after rummaging of the boat," Shukla said.