Amit Shah praises NCB after massive drug bust in Gujarat and Delhi

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah congratulated security agencies for busting an international drug trafficking cartel and seizing 700 kg of contraband methamphetamine in Gujarat on Friday.

In a post on X, Shah emphasised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for a drug-free Bharat and dubbed the drug bust a "stellar example" in this regard.

"Pursuing PM Narendra Modi's vision for a drug-free Bharat, our agencies today busted an international drug trafficking cartel and seized approx. 700 kg of contraband meth in Gujarat," the post mentioned.

"The joint operation carried out by the NCB, Indian Navy, and Gujarat Police stands out as a stellar example of our commitment to the vision as well as the seamless coordination among our agencies in achieving the same. My heartiest congratulations to the agencies on this landmark breakthrough," he added.

In a joint operation carried out by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Indian Navy, and ATS Gujarat Police, a vessel with a consignment of approximately 700 kg of Meth was interdicted in the territorial waters of India.

Eight foreign nationals found on the vessel without any identity documents have claimed to be Iranians, as per a Ministry of Home Affairs release.

Continuous intelligence collection and analysis resulted in generating a reliable input that an unregistered vessel, which does not have any AIS installed on it will be entering Indian waters with Narcotic drugs/Psychotropic substances.

The operation codenamed "SAGAR-MANTHAN-4" was launched on this intelligence input and the vessel was identified & interdicted by the Indian Navy by mobilising its mission-deployed maritime patrol assets resulting in the above-mentioned seizure and apprehension on November 15, 2024, the release mentioned.

Investigation to identify the backward and forward linkages of the drug syndicate is underway for which help of foreign DLEAs is being taken, it added.

Shah also said that the Modi government's hunt against drug rackets will continue ruthlessly.

In his post on 'X', the Union Home Minister said that the back-to-back breakthroughs against illegal drugs in a single day demonstrate the Modi government's unwavering resolve to build a drug-free Bharat. 

"The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) today confiscated 82.53 kg of high-grade cocaine in New Delhi. The massive drug consignment worth approximately Rs 900 crore was tracked down by a bottom-to-top approach after a quantity of drugs was seized in a courier centre in Delhi. Our hunt against drug rackets will continue ruthlessly. Congratulations to the NCB on this major success," he said.

In a major breakthrough, against the drug trafficking syndicates operating in India and especially in the Delhi NCR Region, the Narcotics Control Bureau recovered one of the biggest haul of Cocaine in Delhi. This seizure was a result of a concerted effort made by the team NCB on the leads developed during a previous seizure in March 2024 and August 2024.

After working on the leads generated in these cases, and through technical and human intelligence, the NCB was finally able to reach at the source of the contraband and 82.53 Kg of high-grade Cocaine was recovered from the Janakpuri and Nangloi area of Delhi on November 14, 2024.

In this case, the initial recovery, from a courier shop in Delhi, was from a parcel that was destined for Australia. The team NCB, used the backtracking method to reach to the bulk quantity which was concealed at Janakpuri and Nangloi, Delhi.

Investigation conducted so far revealed that this syndicate is being operated by a group of people based abroad and some quantity of the seized contraband was to be sent to Australia through courier/small cargo services. The persons involved in this case are mainly 'Hawala Operators' and anonymously each other, using pseudo-names for day-to-day conversations on drug dealing.

In this case, two main operatives of the syndicate, residents of Delhi and Sonipat respectively have been arrested so far. Further, the investigations to identify the backward and forward linkages of the drug syndicate and the source of the seized cocaine are underway for which help of foreign Drug Law Enforcement Agencies will be undertaken.

In order to contain the issue of drug trafficking through courier companies/postal department/cargo, regular capacity-building programs are organized by NCB for other DLEAs (Drug Law Enforcement Agencies). NCB has also organized sensitization programs for courier companies & India Posts across India.