Operation Samudragupt: Drug Cartel Busted Worth ₹ 12000 Crore!
'Operation Samudragupt' was initiated in January 2022 to battle heroin and other drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean area.
Nearly 2,500 kilogrammes of methamphetamine worth approximately Rs 12,000 crore was confiscated from a vessel in Indian seas off the coast of Kerala in a combined operation by the Navy and the NCB, the anti-drug agency claimed on the weekend. According to the NCB, it was the greatest methamphetamine seizure in India, and a Pakistani national was apprehended in connection with it.
At a news briefing, NCB authorities described the capture as part of ‘Operation Samudragupt,’ which targeted the marine trafficking of narcotics in Afghanistan. According to the NCB, this is the 3rd significant seizure of narcotics by sea using the southern route in the previous 1.5 years.
The first seizure in operation occurred in February 2022, when a joint group of the NCB and the Navy seized 529 kilogrammes of hashish, 221 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, and 13 kilogrammes of heroin drug from the high seas off the coast of lands of Gujarat. All of these originated in Baluchistan, which is a region of Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
In October 2022, an Iranian boat was caught off the coast of Kerala in a combined operation by the NCB and the the great Indian Navy, and 200 kilogrammes of high-grade heroin, also supplied from Afghanistan, was captured, as well as six Iranian drug traffickers. The narcotics gang is claimed to be run by Haji Salim of Pakistan, who is being pursued by Indian intelligence.
‘Operation Samudragupt’ was initiated in January 2022 to battle heroin and other drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean area.
Satya Narayan Pradhan, Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), has begun Operation Samudragupt. Sanjay Kumar Singh, deputy director general (Ops), leads it.
According to the organisation, the most recent shipment from Afghanistan was routed for India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The drug cache commenced on a “mother ship” – a big vessel distributing drugs to numerous boats travelling from the Makran coast across Pakistan and Iran. The Navy carried 134 bags of suspected methamphetamine, the Pakistani national, the seized boat, and some other rescued goods from the ship to Mattancherry Wharf. It turned them up to the Narcotics Control Bureau.
The NCB has begun seizure proceedings, and preliminary investigation indicates that all of the packets contain high-purity methamphetamine. The agencies received a tip regarding the shipment transiting over the Indian coastline roughly 15 days ago. The NCB also stated that Sri Lanka and the Maldives provided information to Indian officials that led to the present seizure.
Following that, the agency said, the sharing of real-time actionable information started during the operation with Sri Lanka and the Maldives concluding in the seizure of 100s of kgs of heroin and methamphetamine drugs and arrest of 19 drug traffickers in pair of operations. This was conducted by the Sri Lankan Navy in December 2022 and April 2023.
A senior officer stated that continued information collecting and analysis allowed for identifying a highly plausible course the mother ship would take to disseminate contraband. The Indian Navy was notified, and an Indian Navy ship was stationed nearby.
The latest drug seizure has also highlighted the relationship between Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, and the underworld. The earnings from the sale of drugs were allegedly used to support the ISI.
Sanjay Singh, Deputy Director General of the NCB, stated in an interview that they have not been able to contact Haji Salim yet, but according to intelligence reports, he is in Pakistan. The former Pakistani Prime Minister has also confessed that narcotics money is used to support the ISI. The agency also provided certain information to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. So far, they have confiscated narcotics worth almost four thousand crores. Its international market value is Rs. 40 thousand crores, he stated.
Some similar drug bursts.
The NCB previously confiscated almost 300 kg of crystal meth in Hyderabad and detained numerous people in another large bust. Authorities in India have been seeking to reduce drug trafficking and consumption through intensified enforcement and public awareness efforts.
Conclusion.
Movement and consumption of drugs are critical conditions in India. Hope these operations curtail the usage of these deadly narcotics.
Proofread & Published By Naveenika Chauhan
