October 8
Along with the Indian Navy, the Narcotics Control Bureau successfully intercepted an Iranian fishing vessel off the coast of Kochi and seized 200 kilograms of heroin originating in Afghanistan, with an estimated International market value of 1200 crore rupees.
All six of the boat’s Iranian crew members have been arrested and are currently being questioned.
The NCB Deputy Director General (Operations), Sanjay Kumar Singh, spoke at a press conference in Kochi yesterday evening and said that the seized heroin was contained in 200 packets that bore the markings and packaging specialties unique to Afghan and Pakistan-based drug cartels.
From Afghanistan, the narcotics made their way to Pakistan before being loaded onto the Iranian ship off the coast of Pakistan.
The shipment was meant for a Sri Lankan ship that vanished without a trace. Mr. Singh pointed out that in recent years, the smuggling of heroin from Afghanistan into India across the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean has skyrocketed.
