Drug-smuggling route reveals itself again

Intelligence agencies say cartels have been exploiting vast seas off India and Pakistan

Vessel Hennry, which was detained by the Coast Guard ship, at Porbandar on Sunday.

One of the world’s biggest drug smuggling routes, spread across Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Indian Ocean, with recipients spread in several countries, has revealed itself yet again with the seizure of 1,500 kg of heroin worth over ₹3,500 crore off Gujarat coast on Saturday.

For the past many years there have been several intercepts, occasional seizures and significant suspicious boat movements to reaffirm the intelligence assessment about the massive flow of drugs from Afghanistan into the Indian Ocean, and its distribution to the rest of the world.According to Indian intelligence agencies, drug syndicates have been exploiting the vast seas off India and Pakistan, which is easily accessible from several countries, for running their rackets. According to their assessment, heroin and other drugs come down from Afghanistan and is loaded into fishing trawlers in Karachi, Keti Bandar or other smaller fishing harbours on the Pakistan coast.

“These boats are not part of the drug syndicates often, mostly they are couriers and get paid for each delivery,” says a source.

The boats try to keep off Indian Coast Guard and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, and reach mid-sea. They are guided by controllers from Bangkok, or other parts of Thailand, often with the use of satellite phones.

The boats carrying drugs are directed to a particular location using GPS, and it is from there the supplies are picked up by incoming boats from other locations. Indian agencies suspect that the pickup boats are mostly coming from Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and could also be from larger ships. Once it is resupplied, these Afghan drugs find their way into international markets.

In recent months, Indian intelligence agencies have regularly tracked satellite phones of these syndicates to gain significant clarity on their operation. However, it was not the case in the past. Many still believe that the purported terror boat that went up in flames after the Coast Guard intercepted it on News Year’s day in 2015 was probably part of the drug smuggling network.

Sources also believe that the drug that was intercepted on Saturday was not meant for India. “We have not seen drugs being brought into India through this route. It is used for international markets,” one of them said.