Predator Drones helped India uncover drug off Kerala-Gujarat coast, Lanka, Maldives

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Rahul Tripathi

, ET BureauLast Updated: Jun 23, 2023, 11:01 AM IST

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Operation ‘Samudragupta’ carried out by Narcotics Control Bureau & Indian Navy; surveillance maintained using medium-altitude and long-endurance UAVs.

Predator drone--agencies — UAVs’ value in the operation points to the rationale of acquiring 30 MQ-9Bs from US.

Predator drones helped Indian agencies unearth huge consignments of contraband spreading off the Kerala-Gujarat coast, neighbouring Sri Lanka and Maldives, said officials. The Narcotics Control Bureau carried out operation ‘Samudragupta’ with the help of the Indian Navy during which surveillance was maintained using medium-altitude and longendurance versions of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), they said, explaining the rationale for 30 armable MQ-9B Sea Guardians being acquired by India from the US during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.

The operation was launched in February last year when a joint team of the NCB and Indian Navy seized 529 kg of hashish, 221 kg of methamphetamine and 13 kg of heroin in the high seas off the coast of Gujarat, sourced from Baluchistan and Afghanistan. This seizure was followed by round-the-clock surveillance of an Iranian boat off the coast of Kerala and, in October 2022, 200 kg of high grade heroin sourced from Afghanistan was seized and six Iranian drug traffickers arrested.

The questioning of the arrested suspect revealed details of consignments to be delivered in Sri Lanka and Maldives, following which the Indian agencies alerted their counterparts in Sri Lanka and Maldives. This led to the seizure of 286 kg of heroin and 128 kg of methamphetamine with the arrest of 19 drug traffickers in two separate operations by the Sri Lankan Navy in December 2022 and April this year, and seizure of 4 kg of heroin with the arrest of five drug traffickers by the Maldivian Police in March this year.

In May, the Indian agencies received intelligence about movement of a “mother ship” carrying huge quantities of methamphetamine from Makran coast. The continuous intelligence collection and analysis resulted in identification of a highly probable route that the ship would take for distribution of contraband, said the NCB.

Accordingly, these details were shared with the Navy and a naval ship along with drones was deployed in the region. This led to seizure as well as arrest of one Iranian and one Pakistani national.

The Indian Navy spokesperson did not respond to ET’s queries regarding the drone deal.

Friday, 23 Jun, 2023

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