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Iranian vessel with heroin heading for Sri Lankan boat seized
08 Oct, 2022
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in India seized 200 kg of heroin from an Iranian fishing vessel which was meant to be handed over to Sri Lankans at sea.
Six Iran nationals were arrested and were brought to Kochi along with the boat.
In an official release, NCB said it had acted upon specific inputs on an international drug trafficking organization and intercepted the fishing boat in a joint operation with the Indian Navy. The consignment was meant to be handed over to a Sri Lankan vessel.
NCB said preliminary investigation has revealed that the seized drug was sourced from Afghanistan and was transported to Pakistan. ?This consignment was then loaded into the seized vessel off the Pakistan coast in a mid-sea exchange. The vessel then set sail to Indian waters for further delivery of the consignment to a Sri Lankan vessel. Efforts were made to identify and intercept the Sri Lankan vessel. However, the same couldn?t be traced yet,?? it said.
The seized heroin was found in 200 packets and each of the packets had markings and packing specialities unique to Afghan and Pakistan-based drug cartels. While some of the drug packets had ?Scorpion? seal markings the others had ?dragon? seal markings.
The agency also said trafficking of Afghan heroin into India through the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean has exponentially increased over the last few years. (Courtesy Indian Express)
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