A team of Gujarat ATS and Coast Guard carried out the operation. Photo courtesy (Indian Coast Guard)A joint operation between the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has led to a massive drug bust. About 526 kg of narcotics, including heroin and methamphetamine, worth Rs 3,000 crore, have been seized from a dhow crewed by five Pakistan nationals. The seizure took place west of the Lakshadweep Islands on Sunday.The Coast Guard said in a statement on Wednesday, “Executing precise sea-air surveillance based on actionable intelligence, Bharatiya Tatrakshak (ICG) assets maintained unyielding tracking before initiating hot pursuit, neutralizing the target, and boarding a suspicious Iranian dhow on September 25.“The high-seas operation resulted in the seizure of approximately 526 kilograms of high-grade contraband — comprising heroin and methamphetamine — valued at over Rs 3,000 crore in international markets, alongside the swift apprehension of five Pakistani nationals operating the vessel,” the statement said. The dhow, its crew, and the seized contraband were sent to Mumbai with an armed escort for joint interrogation and multi-agency legal proceedings.The intelligence leading to the seizure was gathered by the Gujarat ATS earlier this month. On September 10, Inspector JM Patel received information that a Nigerian national held a meeting in Ahmedabad through an intermediary. During the meeting, an order was reportedly placed for approximately 500 kg of methamphetamine and heroin, which was to be transported by an Iranian dhow named “Azad”. The consignment was to be delivered to a Tamil Nadu-based boat in Indian waters in the Mumbai–Kochi–Lakshadweep region, the ATS said. Five Pak nationals, all of them from Peshawar, have been taken into custodyThe ATS statement said, “An advance payment towards the value of the consignment had already been sent through the hawala channel, while the remaining amount was to be transferred through hawala following delivery of the drugs. As the consignment was of a large quantity, a conspiracy had been planned to unload it from the boat along the Tamil Nadu coastline and subsequently transport it in smaller quantities through other vehicles for delivery to a Nigerian national in Punjab.”It added, “A wanted accused in India and a drug smuggler named Haji Salim, through their associates, had planned to send the consignment aboard the Iranian boat Azad within approximately 15 to 20 days. The boat’s Tandel (boatswain) was reportedly to use a Starlink device.”The Gujarat ATS then contacted the Indian Coast Guard Headquarters in Delhi. A team under ATS SP K Siddharth was dispatched to Kochi in Kerala. The Gujarat ATS team met senior Coast Guard officers at Kochi and formed a joint team. The team onboard a Coast Guard vessel carried out surveillance and checks of suspicious boats in the area.Story continues below this adAn ATS official told the media on Wednesday, “During this operation, on September 25, the boat identified through the intelligence input was located in Indian territorial waters west of Lakshadweep. The Coast Guard vessel intercepted and stopped the boat. Thereafter, ATS and Coast Guard officers boarded and searched the vessel. The suspicious boat was subsequently brought to Mumbai.”Five Pakistani nationals were found aboard the Iranian boat. They have been identified as Mohammad Yakub Balochi, Shakirullah, Faridullah, Ahmed Khan, and Wahidullah Khan, all residents of Peshawar, Pakistan. They were found with approximately 526 kg of heroin and methamphetamine.The ATS investigators said, “During preliminary questioning, it was revealed that the boat named Azad had departed from Konarak, Iran, and that the consignment had been transferred to it from another boat that had arrived from Gwadar, Pakistan. Further questioning revealed that the seized consignment comprised approximately 400 kg of methamphetamine and 126 kg of heroin.” Further legal proceedings are underway and a case is being registered at Gujarat ATS in this connection.Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters. Expertise Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat. Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border. Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad. Civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including large scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies, as well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram