Pakistan

India seizes 200kg heroin shipment on 'Pakistani' boat

$15 million haul is one of the country's largest and comes as narcotic flows escalate from Afghanistan

Reuters April 21, 2015

PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI: India seized 200kg of heroin reportedly from Pakistani drug traffickers aboard a boat on the Arabian sea, a defence official said on Tuesday, in a $15 million haul that is one of the country's largest and comes as narcotic flows escalate from Afghanistan.

A joint navy and coastguard operation allegedly intercepted the vessel in Indian waters on Monday, apparently headed for the western state of Gujarat, Indian navy spokesman D K Sharma said.

Read: Off course: 48 Indian fishermen arrested, 8 boats seized

"Using fishing boats to smuggle heroin is a new strategy by Pakistani smugglers," said Sharma, adding that the smugglers were using phones and GPS systems to allow trans-shipment to another boat.

Eight crew members from, reportedly hailing from Pakistan, were detained and were in police custody in Gujarat, he said.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), a specialised police force, said the confiscation of heroin on Tuesday was one of India's biggest recorded heroin seizures.

Read: Pakistan rejects India's allegations about 'so-called terror boat': FO

The NCB this year sought cooperation from the Indian military to fight the rise in heroin smuggled from Afghanistan via Pakistan through Kashmir in the north and coastal border areas in the west.

UN officials in Kabul recorded a sharp spike this year in the amount of heroin seized from passengers trying to fly from Afghanistan to India.

Pakistani and Indian fishermen are frequently arrested by both countries because their Arabian Sea maritime border is poorly defined and fishing boats often lack the technology to know their precise location.

In January, Indian authorities intercepted a Pakistani fishing boat said to be carrying explosives off the western coast after a chase.

Read: Caught red-handed: Video shows Indian coast guard admitting to blowing up Pakistani boat

The boat was destroyed in a fire India said was started by its Pakistani crew, but a senior coast guard official later claimed that he ordered the destruction of the vessel.

COMMENTS (36)

Gaurav | 8 years ago | Reply @Azi, The topic here is on Narcotics.

Azi | 8 years ago | Reply @Gaurav: There have been Indians in some recent news as well. But they usually specialize in rapes, be it in UAE or USA.

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Gaurav | 8 years ago | Reply can any one tell me how many pakistanis have been beheaded in Saudi Arabia for carrying narcotics

rkfromny | 8 years ago | Reply Of course..... its non state actors .. and the pakistan is such a well respected, mighty, strong, rich, leader of the planet... !!!!!

Azi | 8 years ago | Reply @Humor.as. Armor: Because coming from a nation that harps on their space expertise way too much, only difference being the cheap labor btw compared to others in the club, yet taking 6 months to note the difference b/w Jupiter and drones is just too embarrassing. You wish to keep comparing your self to a nation not having that capability because it makes you feel better? I'm sure there was another Indian who said the same thing after nuclear tests by India. Comparison aside, how about either learning your stuff or get better at lying/ making up stories? Last time both scenarios embarrassed you guys pretty badly. A) 6 month Jupiter / drone stupor B) your naval chief coming true and being sacked.

Bewildered | 8 years ago | Reply @Haider: "Pakistan and India has capacity for their trade to reach 40bn$ which is now 4bn$.Imagine how much it will help in employment of both countries." Thanks but no thanks. We don't want any trade with India until India holds promised plebiscite in Kashmir. Even now, only India is benefiting from the trade which is more like one way traffic (90% vs. 10%). We don't want to close our industries.

Bewildered | 8 years ago | Reply @pakka indian: "Given the deception and denial culture.." Lets check your honesty and straightforwardness and see if you resort to denial or not. "Is it true that Hindu lord Krishna married to 16,000 nymphs and your goddess Draupadi married to 5 brothers the same day same time?"

Humor.as. Armor | 8 years ago | Reply @Azi: "So here is my piece, if it were for India, they’d catch another terror boat from Pakistan on its way to Jupiter, since they are experts in space" . Well even here you display your tendency to stray from the truth. When was the last time you even got to travel above the troposphere of the earth ( the lowest sphere) ? Why talk about journey to Jupiter , my friend ?

josh | 8 years ago | Reply This one says 15 million dollars, another paper says 95 million dollars, anyway no one is stupid to take the drugs out to sea if someone was not coming to take it, so it was a black market export to India maybe, but on the other side imagine a super power if India, Pakistan and China were allies

Milind | 8 years ago | Reply @Maxx - "This cannot be done in isolation, Unless you have the real smugglers sitting in Gujarat, India. This is just one side of the story. " The Modi Govt is determined to crackdown on this drug menance after it found out that almost 70% youth in Punjab are addicted to it, which has led to law & order issues. It went to the extent of putting one of ministers and his relatives of its ally (Akali Dal in Punjab) in the dock for connections to this drug mafia. Suffice to say, anybody associated with smuggling drugs would be dealt with harshly. @Pity & Shakil - Again you're proved your intellectual bankruptcy... Its a fact that your country is also affected by this drug problem.. Instead of taking this opportunity to join hands with the Indian Govt and stamp out this menance (as most rational countries, including rivals do), you're indulging in the blame game or weird conspiracy theories...

wb | 8 years ago | Reply @Maxx.: This is absolutely not done in isolation. Clearly, someone in Gujarat was involved in this. Now, what if Gujarat police arrested a Muslim? What will you claim then?

GHAZAL | 8 years ago | Reply Pakistani Narcotics smugglers have brand value all over world. thanks at least there is no beheading story, this time

N | 8 years ago | Reply According to the size of India 15 million dollars heroin is peanut

wb | 8 years ago | Reply @Shakil: "bottom line message look guys: Pakistanis are smugglers, Pakistan are terrorists, They are really bad guys! Indians do not smuggles things at all, they do not use drugs its just Pakistani giving them free to make them addicted! There are 0 smugglers in India. Crime rate in India is 0. " And where did you read this bottom line? Inside your broken brain?

wb | 8 years ago | Reply Drug smuggling by Pakistan has spread like sickness. Pakistanis smuggle drugs to pretty much every country in the world. Pakistani drug smugglers or in the best cases drug-mules have been caught in many countries. Europe, Iran, Arab countries, Canada, USA, South East Asia. The main victim of Pakistani drugs in India has become Pumjab and Haryana. There are Indians involved here who buy them and distribute them. Drug problem is a very big problem today in Urban India and slowly seeping into rural India also.

vasan | 8 years ago | Reply Haider and Sunny : Spot on guys.

Azi | 8 years ago | Reply @Shakil: You forgot rape too, its only and mostly prevalent in Pakistan. There is a reason India is called rape free country of the world. /giggle. @Another Indian:

Same applies to Pakistanis - Haider

Obviously reading the whole commenting before going berserk on your keyboard is not one of your strengths.

TrueMuslim | 8 years ago | Reply Of course this is a conspiracy ! Pakistan is a nation of true Muslims and it will never do a thing like this.

Azi | 8 years ago | Reply @Pity: It's a calculated move. Doing so i.e. allowing anti Pak but not vice versa will create drama thus attracting more people to try to get their comments published. So here is my piece, if it were for India, they'd catch another terror boat from Pakistan on its way to Jupiter, since they are experts in space.

Another Indian | 8 years ago | Reply @Shakil.. And your ingenious point would be....?

Haider | 8 years ago | Reply @Mahesh Patil Thanks man @Another Indian Yes,Indians and Pakistanis should show maturity on blogs.We have been playing blame games for last 67 years.Do we want to play for next 67 years also..Pakistan and India has capacity for their trade to reach 40bn$ which is now 4bn$.Imagine how much it will help in employment of both countries. For God Sake no more proxy wars.

Weirdity | 8 years ago | Reply Not possible. Islam does not allow drug smuggling so these cannot be Muslims. It's so so obvious!

Figaro | 8 years ago | Reply Nooo!! not another boat drama,please.

pakka indian | 8 years ago | Reply @Pity: Given the deception and denial culture, that is eagerly promoted by corrupt and brainwashed Pakistanis, your reaction is not surprising. Your philosophy of life is to deny all the wrongdoings and nefarious activities you commit. You denied perpetrating the first attack on Kashmir -- you denied the 1965 war against India. Later, you denied that you were responsible for the creation of Bangladesh after committing genocide against 3 million Bengalis and raping 700,000 Bengali women. You deny the open persecution and decimation of minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Shias and Ahmedis) in your country, although these minorities are fast disappearing. You also denied the attack on the Indian parliament and also the Mumbai carnage of 2008 in which 160 unarmed and innocent men, women and small children were killed. You denied that the soldiers sent to fight over Kargil were Pakistanis and refused to accept thousands of dead bodies of Pakistani soldiers killed in action, and allowed them to rot in the mountains. You also denied that Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan when he was discovered hiding for years in Abbottabad. I could add more to this list to document the compulsive lies that Pakistanis indulge in.

N | 8 years ago | Reply 15 million dollars of heroin just peanut

jay | 8 years ago | Reply @shakil. R u the smugglers attorney? @ Pakistani. U have lived many lies. Ur axis of truth n lie is so upside down, that it will take u an entire generation to figure out reality. @ pity. U r ur name. Pity. @ haider. No one gets religion into everything like Muslims do. In fact major fire in Muslim countries is due to over dose of religion. From banning certain words to b used by non Muslims. ( Malaysia) ,to begin labeled non Muslims ( pak) banning alcohols (Indonesia). Pork ban, etc etc etc. Am I wrong, who od's on religion like a Muslim does?

Maxx. | 8 years ago | Reply This cannot be done in isolation, Unless you have the real smugglers sitting in Gujarat, India. This is just one side of the story.

Shakil | 8 years ago | Reply bottom line message look guys: Pakistanis are smugglers, Pakistan are terrorists, They are really bad guys! Indians do not smuggles things at all, they do not use drugs its just Pakistani giving them free to make them addicted! There are 0 smugglers in India. Crime rate in India is 0. Everything bad happens to this world is because of Pakistan! Get a life school boys! smuggling is a world phenomenon!

Another Indian | 8 years ago | Reply @Haider... And does that apply to Pakistani trolls too?

Mahesh Patil | 8 years ago | Reply @Haider: I respect your views.

pakistani | 8 years ago | Reply this could be the lie like all other previous indian lies.

Sunny | 8 years ago | Reply Pakistani or Afghans drug smugglers alone can't venture into india and sell their produce, they certainly would need some assistance from local drug dealers in order to carry out such task.

Aleem | 8 years ago | Reply These are Afghans not Pakistanis

Pity | 8 years ago | Reply Seems like another cooked up incident like the so-called terror-boat one. ET if you can publish ant-Pakistan comments then allow Pakistanis to express their views too.

Haider | 8 years ago | Reply Shameful act by Pakistani smugglers.They should be punished... Please no one should involve politics in it.To all Indian trolls.Few Smugglers doesnt mean you bash Pakistan....Same applies to Pakistanis.What is wrong is wrong. Stop bringing religion, nationality in everything

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