In yet another major drug seizure, the Gujarat ATS and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) jointly seized a Pakistani boat - Hal Haj- and recovered 56 kg of pure heroin worth Rs 280 crore. The ICG gave chase and fired 200 rounds from Light Machine Guns (LMG) before seizing the at 2 am on Monday. The boat, caught off the Jakhau coast, was 15 nautical miles from the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in Indian waters.  Gujarat DGP Ashish Bhatia said nine Pakistani crew members were arrested. Cops believe the consignment belongs to Karachi-based drug mafia Mustufa. Last week the Gujarat ATS and DRI jointly seized heroin 16-km from Kandla Port. The consignment was imported from Port Bandar of Iran. Bhatia said two to three Pakistani smugglers, who sustained minor injuries during the chase and subsequent firing, are under treatment. He said the smugglers were brought to Jakhau Coast at about 5.30 pm. “They will be moved to the ATS office in Ahmedabad and produced before the court for police custody,” said Bhatia. Cops are on the lookout for the person whose boat was to bring the drugs from the transit point near the IMBL. “The consignment was to land on the 1600-km long Gujarat coastline and then probably head towards north India and Punjab,” said Bhatia.  ATS sources said they are probing the narco-terror angle, and hence NIA may take over the case. “The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is aiding ATS in interrogating the smugglers,” said a senior ATS official. Bhatia said Gujarat ATS had been working on the tip for some time. “Three days ago, our team got specific information about the Pakistani boat. We coordinated with ICG and launched an operation on Sunday night,” said Bhatia. He said ATS officers and ICG officials set off in an interceptor boat and saw suspicious activity near the IMBL on the Indian side. “ They challenged the smugglers, and instead of surrendering, the boat tried to flee towards Pakistani waters. ICG gave chase and opened fire before apprehending the boat,” said Bhatia. He said the cops know who the consignment was meant for and are hunting for the accused.

The lure of Lal Pari Explaining why Pakistani smugglers used the Gujarat coastline to smuggle contraband despite several failed attempts, Bhatia said smuggling through land borders is now difficult. NATO and Sri Lankan Navy are also keeping an eye on smugglers so, Pakistani drug mafias are using the old smuggling routes that pass through Gujarat’s waters.  He said the constant vigil by Gujarat ATS, ICG and Navy has foiled several such smuggling attempts. “Around 30,000 fishing boats sail around the Gujarat coastline and many enter the Indian basin waters to look for a fish called Lal Pari. Many times the boats are caught by the ICG or the Pak Marines,” said Bhatia. He said sometimes the smugglers take the help of such fishing boats to land the contraband on the coast. “Keeping an eye on 30,000 boats is difficult,” said a senior ATS official.   Sajid Lala of A’bad Gujarat police, meanwhile, are on the hunt for Sajid Lala alias MD, a resident of Ekta Maidan in Juhapura. “Sajid is believed to be the main supplier of drugs in the city. Central agencies are also looking for him,” said a cop. Sajid was acquitted in the murder of RTI activist Nadeem Saiyed.   Kandla drug haul: Key accused nabbed The key accused in the Kandla drug bust in which heroin worth over Rs 1439 crores was seized from the Container Freight Station (CFS) in Kandla was nabbed by the DRI from Amritsar in Punjab. Joganjeetsingh Balwindersingh was later brought to Gujarat and was produced in a Bhuj court. The court gave DRI a ten-day remand of the accused. Sources said Singh belongs to Tarantaran in Punjab and owns Balaji Traders in Uttarakhand. Investigators are trying to find who funded the drug transit and the link between Uttarakhand, Kandla and Punjab. DRI told the court that it wanted to investigate the container depot that was used for smuggling other contraband.  Seventeen containers of gypsum powder landed at CFS, 16-km from Kandla Port in Oct 2021 and remained unclaimed until ATS got a tip-off about its content. Why the container remained unclaimed is not known.

Three days ago, our team got specific information about the Pak boat. We coordinated with ICG and launched an operation on Sunday night... ICG gave chase and opened fire before seizing boat –Ashish Bhatia, DGP

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