Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Friday congratulated security agencies for busting an international drug trafficking cartel and seizing 700 kg of contraband methamphetamine in Gujarat.

In a post on X, Shah said, “Pursuing PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s vision for a drug-free Bharat, our agencies today busted an international drug trafficking cartel and seized approx. 700 kg of contraband meth in Gujarat. The joint operation carried out by the NCB, Indian Navy, and Gujarat Police stands out as a stellar example of our commitment to the vision as well as the seamless coordination among our agencies in achieving the same. My heartiest congratulations to the agencies on this landmark breakthrough.”

In a joint operation carried out by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the Indian Navy, and ATS Gujarat Police, a vessel carrying approximately 700 kg of Meth was intercepted in Indian territorial waters. Eight foreign nationals found on the vessel, who had no identity documents, claimed to be Iranians.

Continuous intelligence collection and analysis led to reliable information about an unregistered vessel, lacking AIS, entering Indian waters with Narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Operation codenamed “SAGAR-MANTHAN-4” was launched based on this intelligence input, and the vessel was identified and interdicted by the Indian Navy, which mobilised its mission-deployed maritime patrol assets. This resulted in seizure and apprehension on November 15.

Investigation to identify the backward and forward linkages of the drug syndicate is on for which help of foreign DLEAs is being taken. This operation is also a great example of inter-agency cooperation and coordination.

The NCB launched Operation “SAGAR-MANTHAN” early this year by constituting a team of officers from the Operations Branch of NCB Headquarters, as well as from the Operations/Intelligence Wing of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and ATS Gujarat Police, to counter threats to national security emanating from maritime trafficking of illicit drugs.

A series of such maritime operations have been launched by NCB in coordination with the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard and till now about 3,400 kg of various narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances have been seized, and 11 Iranian Nationals and 14 Pakistani Nationals have been arrested in three cases, who are all in jail awaiting trial.

These significant operational achievements in the Indian territorial waters are a testament to our resolve to eradicate the scourge of drugs from India to realise our vision of a Nasha Mukt Bharat by 2047. To further enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies to deal with the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse, the Union government has recently created 111 posts in NCB, including 5 at the SP level, in addition to the 425 posts created in the last two years.