Gujarat: Court remands eight Iranian nationals arrested with 700 kgs of contraband drugs to 4 days of police custody

Porbandar (Gujarat) [India], November 16 (ANI): Eight Iranian nationals arrested in a joint operation by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Indian Navy, and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) with 700 kg of contraband drugs have been remanded to four days of police custody.
Public prosecutor Shailesh Parmar said, "In a joint operation by the Gujarat ATS, Navy, and NCB, eight Iranian nationals were arrested with 700 kg of contraband drugs. The accused have been remanded to four days of police custody. Further investigation is underway."
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the security agencies for dismantling an international drug trafficking cartel and seizing 700 kg of methamphetamine in Gujarat.
In a post on X, Shah highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for a drug-free Bharat, calling the drug bust a "stellar example" of the government's commitment.
"Pursuing PM Narendra Modi's vision for a drug-free Bharat, our agencies have today busted an international drug trafficking cartel and seized approximately 700 kg of contraband meth in Gujarat," the post read.
"The joint operation carried out by the NCB, Indian Navy, and Gujarat Police is a stellar example of our commitment to this vision and the seamless coordination among our agencies. My heartiest congratulations to the agencies on this landmark breakthrough," he added.
In the operation, a vessel carrying approximately 700 kg of methamphetamine was intercepted in Indian territorial waters by the NCB, Indian Navy, and Gujarat ATS.
Eight foreign nationals aboard the vessel, lacking identity documents, claimed to be Iranian, according to a release by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Continuous intelligence gathering and analysis led to credible information about an unregistered vessel without an Automatic Identification System (AIS) entering Indian waters with narcotics or psychotropic substances.
Based on this intelligence, Operation "SAGAR-MANTHAN-4" was launched. The vessel was identified and intercepted by the Indian Navy using mission-deployed maritime patrol assets, resulting in the seizure and apprehension on November 15, 2024, as per the release.
The investigation is ongoing to trace the backward and forward linkages of the drug syndicate, with assistance from foreign drug law enforcement agencies, the release added.
Shah reaffirmed the Modi government's commitment to cracking down on drug rackets, stating the hunt against such operations would continue relentlessly.
In another post on X, the Union Home Minister highlighted back-to-back successes in the fight against illegal drugs, demonstrating the government's firm resolve to build a drug-free Bharat.
"The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) confiscated 82.53 kg of high-grade cocaine in New Delhi. The massive drug consignment, worth approximately Rs900 crore, was tracked down through a bottom-to-top approach after a quantity was seized at a courier centre in Delhi. Our hunt against drug rackets will continue relentlessly. Congratulations to the NCB on this major success," he said. (ANI)