India claims seizing 200kg heroin on Pakistani boat
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NEW DELHI: India seized 200 kilograms of heroin from Pakistani drug traffickers aboard a boat on the Arabian sea, a defence official said on Tuesday.
The $15 million haul is one of the country's largest, and comes as narcotic flows from Afghanistan escalate.
A joint navy and coastguard operation intercepted the vessel in Indian waters on Monday, apparently headed for the western state of Gujarat, Indian navy spokesman D K Sharma said.
“Using fishing boats to smuggle heroin is a new strategy by Pakistani smugglers,” said Sharma, adding that the smugglers were using phones and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to allow trans-shipment to another boat.
Eight crew members from Pakistan were detained and taken into police custody in Gujarat, he said.
When contacted, Pakistan's foreign office declined to comment on the development.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), a specialized police force, said the confiscation of heroin on Tuesday was one of India's biggest recorded heroin seizures.
The NCB this year sought cooperation from the Indian military to fight the rise in heroin smuggled from Afghanistan via Pakistan through India's disputed state of Kashmir in the north and coastal border areas in the west.
United Nations officials in Kabul recorded a sharp spike this year in the amount of heroin seized from passengers trying to fly from Afghanistan to India.
Pakistani and Indian fishermen are frequently arrested by both countries because the Arabian Sea maritime border between the two countries is poorly defined, and fishing boats often lack the technology to know their precise location.
In January, Indian authorities intercepted a Pakistani fishing boat said to be carrying explosives off the western coast after a chase.
The boat was destroyed in a fire India said was started by its Pakistani crew, but a senior coast guard official later claimed that he had ordered the destruction of the vessel.
Know more: Pakistan boat row: India removes Coast Guard official who contradicted govt
India upgraded coastal security after ten Pakistani gunmen arrived on a rubber boat in Mumbai in 2008 for a commando-style assault on two luxury hotels, a train station and a Jewish centre that killed 166 people.
With additional reporting by Mateen Haider
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (50) Closed
Apr 21, 2015 08:09pm
What claim??? Those caught were pakistani nationals...
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Apr 21, 2015 08:14pm
It must a conspiracy too.
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Apr 21, 2015 08:14pm
Drugs from Afghanistan is a threat to the whole region...
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Apr 21, 2015 08:18pm
What we expect from Pakistan.huh
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Apr 21, 2015 08:21pm
@india - You say as though you personally caught them red handed!!! Calm down!
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Apr 21, 2015 08:22pm
@Bharat Kumar Jaiswal - Your mind in in overdrive!
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Apr 21, 2015 08:25pm
Drugs from Afghanistan must be stopped. It is a menace for both countries.
@Tashu We are more affected by the drugs from Afghanistan, as border is mountaneous and porous. Im sorry, as a Pakistani that heroin is reaching India through Pakistan. But dont blame us.
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Apr 21, 2015 08:31pm
India back to its old tactic of creating drama. nothing new.
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Apr 21, 2015 08:32pm
India can claim whatever they feel like e.g their claim of sinking a boat of terrorists few months back. The actual story is that they can't digest the tour of Chinese President and want to attract attention like a spoiled child.
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Apr 21, 2015 08:34pm
Its funny how India always manage to conveniently destroys the evidence. ;)
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Apr 21, 2015 08:45pm
@Daood Do you think Indians have no better job to do?
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Apr 21, 2015 08:48pm
Sounds fishy! Hope it was not an pre-organised 'conspiracy plan', as usual -v-
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Apr 21, 2015 08:49pm
They just seem to be smugglers. But India should not expect any cooperation from Pakistan. You will see only vociferous well-rehearsed denials from Pakistan asking for evidence. When evidnece will be given, it is not going to be adequate and things like that.
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Apr 21, 2015 09:01pm
If true, this is good work by India. I just hope we later don't come to hear as how we did with boat burning drama!
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Apr 21, 2015 09:02pm
India is bent on creating a sense of insecurity among its nationals.....A Pakistani boat tried to smuggle drug from Afghanistan........what a statement....its just like saying Americans tried to smuggle goods in Russia through Australia......blaming Pakistan is not strange but blaming Afghanistan depicts Indian frustration over increasing afghan-pak ties.........Contrary to that Pakistan is a mature country.it never pursued false hue and cry.
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Apr 21, 2015 09:14pm
@Ostrich - humm...pass! What's the answer? :)
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Apr 21, 2015 09:14pm
Smugglers of any hue, especially of contraband substances, are a menace to the society at large, regardless of their origins!
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Apr 21, 2015 09:25pm
@Ostrich What? They do?
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Apr 21, 2015 09:28pm
@Ostrich Not like Pakistan coast guard catching only Indian fishermen.
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Apr 21, 2015 09:29pm
@Harmony Yes!!! India personally caught them red-handed.
Give us a another reason why we should calm down..
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Apr 21, 2015 09:40pm
@Daood Yes, Indian are creating drama same as SA where most of drug smugglers are Pakistanis.
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Apr 21, 2015 09:41pm
Being a pakistani i appreciate ur efforts buyt why disn u also catch the party waiting on the other sode a then make the announcements?
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Apr 21, 2015 09:52pm
It's only about snatching and fighting and hatred and diatribe between Pakistan and India. When will a new narrative start ?
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Apr 21, 2015 10:37pm
@Harmony Our boys did. That's good enough
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Apr 21, 2015 10:39pm
@Haider Rehman Nobody is blaming law abiding Pakistanis. The pedlars of the drugs were caught. It shouldn't matter whether they were Pakistani nationals or someone else. They deserve punishment. They will get it according to Indian laws.
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Apr 21, 2015 10:48pm
All can go to Times of India website and search for "Pakistani Boat Drugs" to view a near 90 second long video on the this event, with images of the boat along with the drugs displayed on the deck of an Indian Coast Guard ship!
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Apr 21, 2015 10:54pm
@Daood What drama? Foreign boat in Indian water was spotted. It was detained. After a search heroin was found. Not sure to what drama you are referring.
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Apr 21, 2015 11:05pm
@Harmony
Pakistan's heroin smuggling is making it an enemy of Europe and the United States. So far the West has not understood how much heroin is shipped from Pakistan. America and Britain are starting to wake up.
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Apr 21, 2015 11:09pm
Just think about one important fact. Afghanistan has no seaports. 2+2=4
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Apr 21, 2015 11:13pm
In Pakistan, there are hundreds of thousand Heroin addicts and Pakistan govt. has no interest in controlling or stopping Heroin flow from Pakistan to other countries. Forget rehabilitation of Pak addicts.
But then why blame just Pakistan only. Unless there is a demand in India, there would be no heroin in India. Right? The smuggling agents and peddles are Indian nationals.
There is an ancient saying that where ver there is prosperity, affluence and no morality , the products of sin, follows like your shadow!
Look at the lavish display of money nowadays in India!
So why blame Pak smugglers alone?
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Apr 21, 2015 11:15pm
Now Plz don't say that it was a conspiracy theory too.
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Apr 21, 2015 11:17pm
Here comes another script by a bollywood india.
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Apr 21, 2015 11:34pm
After earlier false statements and cooked incident by Indian Navy, I don't believe them anymore.
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Apr 21, 2015 11:35pm
The timing of capture looks fishy, how come we caught Pakistani smugglers just when whole world is talking about Chinese President's visit to Pakistan. I must admit looks little Bollywoodish!!
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Apr 21, 2015 11:39pm
@india So what, Pakistan caught about 50 Indian nationals last week. Fishermen from both sides cross the border quite often. While Pakistan Navy/Govt go through the process and normally return Indian Fishermen to India after due process. On the other side, Indian Navy killed poor fishermen on new-year eve and made false story out of that.
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Apr 21, 2015 11:44pm
@india as stated by ' Reliable ' Indian navy. And ofcourse we all believe them immediately.
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Apr 22, 2015 12:59am
No!! not that boat drama once again!
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Apr 22, 2015 02:21am
@Rao No body is blaming Pakistan as a country here. It is just a news that 8 Pakistani nationals along with heroine have been arrested. Thats it.
Yes, there is demand for drugs all over the world, including India. For sure, these people arrested have their partners in India which should be arrested by now.These drug syndicates have no nationality.
This problem of drug trafficking from Pakistan to India and from India to perhaps other countries is older than terrorism. My thinking is this that these are private individuals or gangs working on their own. Govt of Pakistan or people of Pakistan have nothing to do with it. Governments must cooperate to save their future generations. Smugglers are just smugglers and they have international networks.
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Apr 22, 2015 02:44am
This was expected from India during Chinese President's visit to Pakistan. They wanted to project that Pakistan is not safe for investment. They failed miserably. They have not realised that Pakistan and China will be more successful in these projects. This was a very cheap card India played.
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Apr 22, 2015 04:16am
@Rao Simple India should share profits with Pak and Af.
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Apr 22, 2015 04:35am
"India claims seizing 200kg heroin on Pakistani boat"
Not surprised.
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Apr 22, 2015 04:37am
Soon they would be found to be terrorists and maybe killed with no evidence left....
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Apr 22, 2015 04:58am
who believes india anymore.
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Apr 22, 2015 06:19am
@Rao@Rao No blaming on Pakistan on this. But this incidence shows the difference between two consecutive events. In which boat blew itself up with explosives. If Indian navy had motive of blasting pak boats so why leave this one and again claim terror boat. But they caught this boat with no explosives onboard and hence no explosion. CONCLUSION smugglers don't blow themselves up neither do Indian navy as claimed by self apologist officer and cherished by Pakistani media.
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Apr 22, 2015 08:05am
@Daood dawn didnt print the whole news and also the photograph off those who arrested is published in indian news paper and also that when the boat carring drugs sauurounded by coast guard ships they call by there wireless phone to pakistan neavy and pakistan neavy ship come also too help them but seeing the indian coast guard ships back and dawn please make these comments visible bcoz just print the half news is not a press rules
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Apr 22, 2015 09:29am
Ok enjoy that now!
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Apr 22, 2015 12:10pm
$15mill? That's half of Pakistanis economy!
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Apr 22, 2015 12:23pm
@saeed, Only Indians believe India.
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Apr 22, 2015 01:45pm
@Kamal Pasha. and no one belive in pakistan even pakistanis
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Apr 23, 2015 01:18am
They say they have video footage of the boat being captured. Just curious does indian security forces carry video cameras with them all the time?
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