500 kg, Rs 3000 crore, 5 Pak nationals: Massive drug bust near Lakshadweep

On September 25, a joint operation by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) resulted in a significant drug interception near the Lakshadweep Islands. The team seized approximately 526 kg of narcotics, worth over Rs 3,000 crore, from a dhow crewed by five Pakistan nationals. The dhow, named Azad, was intercepted in Indian territorial waters west of the Lakshadweep Islands after receiving intelligence from the Gujarat ATS.

The narcotics, primarily heroin and methamphetamine, were seized along with the boat and its crew, who were subsequently taken into custody in Mumbai. The operation was initiated based on information that a Nigerian national had arranged for a shipment of 500 kg of methamphetamine and heroin to be transported through an Iranian dhow.