Morbi/Ahmedabad (Gujarat): The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has seized 120 kg of heroin, valued at Rs 600 crore in the global market, from the state's Morbi district and arrested three persons in this connection.
Gujarat seems to have become a favourite place for drug mafias. In the last few days, drugs worth crores of rupees have been found from different places in Gujarat. Now, once again, 120 kg of drugs were seized from Zinzuda village near Navlakhi port late on Sunday night. These drugs have been expedited by ATS and Morbi SOG. The approximate market value of these drugs is said to be around Rs 600 crore.
Police have also arrested two people with the drugs. The drug consignment was sent to the accused persons by their Pakistani counterpart at the Arabian Sea near the Indo-Pakistan international maritime boundary line, and was to be delivered to an African country, the police said.
Gujarat has been in the news for three months due to drug trafficking. In Kutch, after a container of 3000 kg of drugs was seized, a total of 66 kg of drugs coming from the coast of Devbhoomi Drarka was seized. The international value of these drugs, which contained 16 kg of heroin and 50 kg of MD drugs, is estimated to be around Rs 350 crore.
The drugs seized from Aradhana Dham in Devbhoomi Dwarka are worth crores in the international market. The team from ATS, LCB and SOG jointly conducted that operation. Monday late night Rs. 600 crore worth of drugs have been seized. In just the past four days, drugs worth more than Rs 900 crore have been offloaded in Gujarat from Dwarka coast.
Gujarat's coastline is used for drug trafficking, said the ATS officials briefing media. Pakistan's drug cartels were trying to smuggle drugs into India from Gujarat's coast. Gujarat's coastline is closer to Pakistan so it is being used as a landing point. Pakistani and Iranian heroin are transported to Indian counterparts on the Indo-Pak International Maritime Boundary Line, who work to bring the heroin to shore and take it to the designated location, the ATS said.
It was initially kept hidden in a coastal area near Salaya in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district before being moved to Morbi's Zinzuda village from where it was seized on Sunday, state DGP Ashish Bhatia told media. "Acting on an intelligence input on Sunday, the Gujarat ATS raided an under-construction house in the village and recovered 120 kg of heroin worth Rs 600 crore in the international market. Three persons were arrested in this connection," the DGP said.
Read: 120 kg of drugs worth Rs 600 crore seized in Gujarat, three arrested
The Gujarat coast is being used as a transit point to transport drugs being sent along the Indo-Pak international boundary line by Pakistani and Iranian heroin smugglers, said the DGP.
The consignment was sent by one Zahid Bashir Baloch, a resident of Pakistan who is a wanted absconder in the earlier seizure of 227 kg heroin by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in 2019, he said.
It was intended to be transported to an African country, he said. The heroin was delivered to the apprehended accused, identified as Mukhtar Hussein and Samsuddin Hussainmiyan Saiyyed, at the sea in the last week of October at the given coordination shared by Baloch with Mukhtar Hussein's brother Isa Rav, he said.
The conspiracy for the contraband delivery was hatched in the United Arab Emirates, like in most cases in the past. The drug consignment was to be handed over to the Indian smugglers to be transported to an African country, in accordance with the normal modus operandi of narcotic smugglers from Pakistan and Iran to use Indian counterparts for transporting drugs to the conduit, he said.
"In the present case, the accused persons, apprehended by the Gujarat ATS, decided to divert the consignment, intended for Africa, to India and misappropriate it and sell it to various buyers," he said. The under-construction house from where the drug consignment was seized belonged to a third accused person, identified as Gulam Hussein Umar Bhagad, he said.
"Smugglers opt for the Indian route because it is cheap, short distance, and they can easily hide their illegal activities because detection is not easy among around 25,000 fishing boats plying in the area," he said. "However, the Gujarat Police have been successful in neutralising all such attempts and all the consignments sent by these cartels have been successfully seized and the accused persons arrested," he said.
Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi lauded the Gujarat Police for their efforts to tackle the drug menace. "Another achievement of Gujarat Police. Gujarat Police is leading from the front to eliminate the drugs. Gujarat ATS has nabbed around 120 kilo drugs," he tweeted.
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Speaking to ETV Bharat he said "Gujarat Police has saved lives of thousands of youth of Maharashtra by seizing these drugs and caught entire gang those who have come to take delivery of these drugs from Maharashtra".
"Earlier, Gujarat ATS has also arrested and seized the drug which was further to be delivered to Punjab", he added. He said that "Pakistan is trying to smuggle drugs in India via Gujarat however the vigilant watch of Gujarat Police has made it's (Pakistan) past 3 to 4 attempts unsuccessful. Citizens of Gujarat should feel proud about our Gujarat Police," he said.
Dipan Bhadran, Incharge of Gujarat ATS told ETV Bharat that "The agencies are equally vigilant. The drugs are brought from the international maritime border. Samsuddin Syed Zabbar Mukhtar and Ghulam Hussain have been detained in the case. Central agencies have also been informed about this. Ghulam Bhagad and Jabbar, both of the three accused in the case, have criminal histories. These seized drugs were first to be sent to Africa, but were later smuggled to Gujarat. Most of the drugs are brought to India and sent abroad. The conspiracy to deliver in Gujarat was hatched in the UAE. All the agencies of the state are active and all the quantity has been seized and no quantity has gone out."
It is to be noted that earlier, a large quantity of drugs was seized from Mundra port in Kutch. The drug was concealed as talcum powder. The action was taken by the Director of Revenue Intelligence at Mundra Port. Two containers full of drugs were seized. The NIA is investigating this drugs case.
(With Agency Inputs)
