The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Gujarat ATS have jointly apprehended a Pakistani boat with drugs worth Rs 200 crore. The boat was carrying 40 kgs of drugs and was caught in Indian waters.   The ICG on the intervening night of September 13-14 strategically deployed two fast interceptor classes of ships - C-408 and C-454 - for patrolling in the area close to the notional International Maritime Border Line (IMBL). The agency's move came after it received intelligence inputs from the ATS Gujarat. A Pakistani boat was spotted moving suspiciously in the Indian waters, five nautical miles inside notional IMBL and 40 nautical miles from Jakhau, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. On being challenged, it said, the Pakistani boat over boarded a consignment and started evasive manoeuvring. Braving rough seas, the ICG ships intercepted the boat and apprehended it. The boat is being brought to Jakhau for a further joint investigation, the ministry said. This is the fifth such joint operation by the ICG and ATS, Gujarat in the last one year. In May this year, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and ICG intercepted 218 kg of heroin in a mid-sea drug bust off the coast of Lakshadweep Islands. The seized drug was high-grade heroin and its value in the international illicit market was estimated to be around Rs 1,526 crore. Before this, the DRI had recovered 205.6 kg heroin from a commercial import consignment of gypsum powder at the Kandla port on 20 April, 396 kg of yarn (laced with heroin) at Pipavav port on 29 April, and 62 kg heroin at Air Cargo Complex, IGI New Delhi on 10 May, collectively valued at approximately Rs. 2,500 crore in the international illicit market.

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