Indian Navy’s frontline frigate INS Tarkash has seized over 2,500 kgs of narcotics in the Western Indian Ocean, officials said on Wednesday.
The operation to seize the narcotics was launched after the Navy received inputs on March 31 on suspicious movements of some vessels, they said.
After systematically interrogating all suspicious vessels in the vicinity, INS Tarkash intercepted and boarded a suspect dhow, owing to the coordinated efforts with the P8I marine surveillance aircraft and the Maritime Operations Centre in Mumbai, a Navy spokesperson said.
Additionally, the ship launched its integral helicopter to monitor the activities of the suspicious vessel and identify other vessels likely operating in the area, he said.
A specialist boarding team, along with Marine Commandos, boarded the suspect vessel and conducted a thorough search, leading to the discovery of various sealed packets, the official said.
Further search and interrogation revealed over 2,500 kgs of narcotic substances (including 2,386 kgs of hashish and 121 kgs of heroin) stored in different cargo holds and compartments onboard the vessel, he said.
The suspicious dhow was subsequently brought under the control of INS Tarkash, and the crew underwent comprehensive questioning regarding their modus operandi and the presence of other similar vessels in the area, the spokesperson added.
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