In a major blow to an international narcotics trafficking network, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), working alongside the Indian Coast Guard and central intelligence agencies, seized approximately 526 kg of heroin and methamphetamine from an Iranian dhow intercepted in Indian waters west of Lakshadweep. Reports indicate the consignment has an estimated international market value of more than ₹3,000 crore.

The operation stemmed from intelligence received on 10 September indicating that a large shipment of methamphetamine and heroin was being prepared for smuggling into India via the Arabian Sea.

Investigators found that the narcotics were allegedly being transported aboard an Iranian vessel named Azad, which was expected to rendezvous with a Tamil Nadu-based boat in waters spanning the Mumbai-Kochi-Lakshadweep maritime corridor.

According to Gujarat Police, the shipment was allegedly organised by wanted drug smuggler Haji Salim and his associates, who planned to dispatch the consignment from Iran within a period of 15 to 20 days.

The drugs were reportedly intended to be transferred at sea before being landed along the Tamil Nadu coastline.

From there, the consignment was allegedly to be broken into smaller loads and distributed through multiple transport channels before reaching a Nigerian national based in Punjab.

Investigators believe part of the payment for the narcotics had already been made through hawala channels, with the remaining amount scheduled to be transferred after successful delivery.

The probe also uncovered information suggesting that a Nigerian national, acting through an intermediary, participated in a meeting in Ahmedabad where an order for roughly 500 kg of heroin and methamphetamine was allegedly placed.

Following the intelligence breakthrough, Gujarat ATS coordinated with Indian Coast Guard Headquarters in New Delhi and formed a joint operational team in Kochi.

Under the supervision of ATS Superintendent of Police K Siddharth, officers worked alongside senior Coast Guard personnel to track suspicious maritime activity across the region.

Using sea and aerial surveillance assets, authorities monitored suspected vessels before identifying the target dhow on 25 September.

The Coast Guard subsequently intercepted the vessel in Indian territorial waters west of Lakshadweep after a sustained tracking effort.

ATS and Coast Guard personnel boarded and searched the dhow before escorting it under armed guard to Mumbai for further investigation and legal proceedings.

Five Pakistani nationals were detained aboard the vessel.

They were identified as Mohammad Yakub Balochi, Shakirullah, Faridullah, Ahmed Khan and Wahidullah Khan, all reportedly residents of Peshawar, Pakistan. The seizure included approximately 400 kg of methamphetamine and 126 kg of heroin, bringing the total quantity recovered to around 526 kg.

Preliminary questioning revealed that the dhow had departed from Konarak in Iran.

Investigators further allege that the narcotics were transferred onto the vessel from another boat originating in Gwadar, Pakistan, before the journey towards Indian waters.

Authorities also disclosed that the vessel's tandel was expected to use a Starlink satellite communications device during the smuggling operation, highlighting the increasingly sophisticated methods employed by transnational trafficking networks.

The seizure reflects a broader trend in which international narcotics syndicates attempt to exploit maritime routes in the Arabian Sea to move drugs towards the Indian coastline.

Security agencies have intensified monitoring of these sea lanes in recent years, with maritime interdictions becoming a key element of India's counter-narcotics strategy.

A case is being registered by Gujarat ATS, while further interrogation and investigation are under way to identify the wider network of handlers, financiers and intended recipients linked to the consignment.

Officials described the operation as a significant example of coordinated maritime surveillance and inter-agency cooperation aimed at disrupting international drug trafficking networks before narcotics can reach the mainland.