Seizure of three unattended consignments of hashish, a drug processed from the resin of cannabis plant, along the Kutch coast in Gujarat in the past three weeks has intrigued the enforcement agencies.
The consignments were seized by the Gujarat police. The first packet containing 16 kg of hashish was detected at the Jakhau Port, located in Godia Creek, on May 21. The second and third packets weighing 19 kg and 13 kg, respectively, were recovered on June 1 and 2 at Lakhpat Taluka.
“The packing material of all the three seizures was related to edible items and bore Pakistani markings, suggesting that that the consignments originated from Pakistan and must have been smuggled through the maritime route,” said a Customs official.
The agencies suspect that the contraband is part of a large consignment of heroin being smuggled in a fishing boat. “It is highly likely that the smugglers dumped it into the sea fearing that they might be caught. However, how the hashish packets reached the coast is not yet known. Most probably, they were washed ashore,” the official said.
It is also not clear whether Gujarat was the intended destination for the consignment. “High quality hashish in huge quantities is already available in Indian markets. They are produced mostly in the hilly regions across the country. Off and on, large seizures are made by various agencies. And then, hashish is also smuggled from Nepal,” said another official.
Of late, criminal syndicates operating from Pakistan have been using sea routes for smuggling drugs, mostly heroin, to countries like India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mozambique.
From 2015 to 2019, four large seizures, of about 2,000 kg of heroin sourced from Pakistan, were made in the coastal area of Gujarat.
“The drug consignments are loaded in fishing boats at Gwadar Port or off the coast in the Arabian Sea. Along with heroin, other drugs in smaller quantities are also transported. In March, the Sri Lankan Navy had seized 100 kg of methamphetamine along with 400 kg of heroin from two trawlers in the high seas. Eight Pakistani nationals were detained in that case,” said the official.
