Gujarat ATS and Coast Guard intercept Iranian speedboat with 203 kg of suspect chemical, detain 2

A team led by Superintendent of Police K Siddharth was then deployed to Porbandar. The intelligence was shared with the Indian Coast Guard, leading to the formation of a joint operation team.

“On the night of February 16, at approximately 8 pm, the joint operation team intercepted a suspicious Iranian speedboat within Indian waters (IMBL), located approximately 140 nautical miles off Porbandar. The team apprehended two Iranian nationals found on board, identified as Abdul Majid, S/o Ismail, and Abdul Sattar, S/o Kadarbaksh, both residents of Chabahar, Konarak, Iran,” said DIG Joshi.

A statement from the Coast Guard said, “Based on a corroborated input from Gujarat ATS, an ICG ship from the Coast Guard Region (North West), which was on a multi-mission deployment, was diverted to intercept a foreign fishing boat suspected of drug smuggling in proximity of the notional International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Despite the pitch-dark night, ICG ships identified the suspect boat through a combination of human and technical surveillance.”

On realising the approaching Coast Guard ship, the speedboat started fleeing towards the notional IMBL, but it was chased down and stopped, the statement said, adding that the boat was found to be manned by two foreigners. “The boat was thoroughly rummaged, and 203 packets (1 kg each) of crystalline contents suspected to be drugs were found hidden in the boat,” it said.

The ATS said the vessel and the contraband were subsequently seized. These were brought to the Porbandar Coast Guard station on February 17, along with the apprehended men, it added.

The two suspects will be brought to the ATS office in Ahmedabad for further investigation.