Indian Coast Guard, Gujarat ATS Seize 526 kg of Drugs Worth Over Rs 3,000 Crore From Iranian Boat Near Lakshadweep; 5 Pakistanis Held

Seized methamphetamine and heroin haul valued at over Rs 3,000 crore in the international market

September 30, 2026

Hot pursuit, high seas, huge haul: India's latest narcotics interception explained

Vessel, crew and drugs escorted to Mumbai for joint interrogation by ATS, NCB and central agencies

The Indian Coast Guard, in a joint operation with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad, seized around 526 kg of methamphetamine and heroin valued at more than Rs 3,000 crore from an Iranian dhow in the Arabian Sea, arresting five Pakistani nationals who were operating the vessel, officials said Wednesday. Some early reports had put the seized quantity at around 510 kg.

How the operation unfolded

The Gujarat ATS had received intelligence about an attempt to smuggle a large narcotics consignment into India via the sea route. Acting on that input, the Coast Guard intensified sea-air surveillance across the Arabian Sea, deploying ships and aircraft to track suspicious maritime activity west of Lakshadweep.

On September 25, Coast Guard personnel spotted the Iranian boat behaving suspiciously. A Coast Guard vessel launched a “hot pursuit,” intercepted the dhow on the high seas, and commandos boarded and searched it, recovering the high-grade methamphetamine and heroin consignment. The vessel, its crew and the seized drugs were subsequently escorted to Mumbai port under armed guard.

Investigation underway

The five Pakistani nationals arrested in the operation have not yet been publicly identified, and details of the drugs’ origin, intended destination or the wider trafficking network involved have not been disclosed. The Gujarat ATS, Indian Coast Guard, Narcotics Control Bureau and other central agencies are expected to jointly interrogate the arrested crew as the multi-agency investigation continues in Mumbai.

Part of a pattern of maritime drug busts

This operation follows a string of similar joint actions by the Gujarat ATS and Indian Coast Guard in recent years targeting narcotics smuggling routes through the Arabian Sea. In May this year, the two agencies seized roughly 115 kg of cocaine off the Mundra coast in Gujarat following a targeted search based on ATS intelligence. Officials describe Wednesday’s seizure as among the largest such maritime narcotics interceptions to date, underscoring the continued use of the Arabian Sea route by traffickers operating between Iran, Pakistan and the Indian coastline.

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