GUWAHATI: The Indian Coast Guard and Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) intercepted a cargo vessel near the Mundra coast on the intervening night of May 25 and May 26 and seized cocaine worth more than ₹1,150 crore, officials said.
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The midnight operation, conducted off the Kutch coastline, led to the arrest of three accused allegedly linked to an international drug trafficking network. Another suspect reportedly escaped by jumping into the sea during the raid, prompting an extensive search operation.
According to officials, the cocaine consignment had originated in Brazil and travelled through multiple international routes, including Latin America, Mexico, the United States and Karachi, before heading towards Gujarat’s coast.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, Gujarat ATS tracked a cargo vessel identified as MV Europe, which was approaching the Mundra anchorage carrying a large quantity of narcotics concealed onboard. A joint operation involving Coast Guard interceptor boats and ATS teams was then launched to intercept the vessel before the consignment could be offloaded.
Investigators revealed that the smugglers had planned to transfer the cocaine from the cargo vessel to a smaller boat near Mundra and subsequently transport it to Delhi through local operatives and foreign nationals allegedly based in the capital.
During the operation, security personnel noticed suspicious movements onboard the vessel anchored around five nautical miles off the Mundra coast. As the teams moved in, several bags were allegedly thrown into the sea in an attempt to destroy evidence.
Despite rough sea conditions and low visibility, the joint teams managed to recover five floating bags from the water. On inspection, the packets were found to contain cocaine.
Officials said the agencies recovered nearly 115 to 118 kilograms of cocaine packed in around 115 separate packets, each weighing approximately one kilogram. The seized narcotics are estimated to have an international market value ranging between ₹1,150 crore and ₹1,180 crore.
ATS officials stated that two men were found handling the narcotics onboard the vessel during the raid. One accused, identified as Juma Nasir Omar, was apprehended from the boat, while another suspect escaped into the sea and remains absconding.
