Ahmedabad, Aug 1 (PTI) The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad on Monday said it had successfully thwarted attempts made by international mafia to smuggle drugs into the country through the state’s coast and had arrested 65 peddlers, including 30 Pakistan nationals, in the last three years.
It had seized 1,045 kilograms of contraband, including heroin, cumulatively worth Rs 5,200 crore in the last three years, and nabbed 65 persons, of which 30 were Pakistan nationals, seven from Iran, three Afghans and one Nigerian, an ATS release said.
This does not include the seizure of 3,000 kilograms of heroin made by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in September last year from two shipping containers at Mundra Port, it said. The contraband is believed to have originated in Afghanistan.
Incidentally, the ATS’ information on drug hauls and the fight against the menace comes against the backdrop of a strident attack on Monday by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the two accusing the ruling BJP of alleged patronage of the drug mafia.
In a tweet in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi had said, “Drugs recovered at Gujarat’s Mundra port –September ’21, 3000 Kg worth Rs 21000 Crore; May ’22, 56 Kg worth Rs 500 crore and July ’22, 75 Kg worth Rs 375 crore.” “Who are the people sitting in the double engine government who are constantly giving “patronage” to the drug-liquor mafia? Why are the youth of Gujarat being forced into drugs?” he said.
In another tweet in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi asked how drugs were landing at the same port continuously, despite the seizure of drugs there three times.
“Is there law and order in Gujarat? Does the mafia have no fear of law? Or is this the government of mafias?” Gandhi said.
According to Deepan Bhadran, ATS Deputy Inspector General, smugglers have started using two different modus operandi to smuggle drugs into the country in recent times.
“They either use a fishing boat to enter Gujarat through the sea route illegally or send the contraband in shipping containers which land at our ports. But, Gujarat ATS, in coordination with central agencies like DRI and Coast Guard, has foiled all these attempts during the last few years,” Bhadran told reporters.
“Gujarat has zero tolerance for such crimes. The ATS and other agencies are always alert to nab the culprits and foil their attempts. Drug smuggling is a crime without borders and that is why central agencies and ATS work together to foil the attempts of drug mafias,” Bhadran added.
Meanwhile, an audio clip of a purported conversation between two overseas drug dealers has gone viral on social media platforms.
In the clip, an unidentified Urdu-speaking person can be heard telling another that it is now nearly impossible to infiltrate Gujarat because of increased vigil.
The man can be heard saying that no Iranian sailor was ready to go to Gujarat to deliver drugs due to the fear of getting caught.
“This clip proves drug mafias are now afraid of using the sea route to dump contraband in Gujarat. They are under fear because of constant efforts of Gujarat police, ATS and other Central agencies like DRI, Narcotics Control Bureau and Coast Guard,” said Bhadran. PTI PJT PD BNM BNM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.