High-Sea Drug Bust Collapses in Court: Ahmedabad NIA Court Acquits All 7 Accused in 218 kg Narcotics Case, Convicts 6 Pakistanis for Illegal India Entry

In a dramatic setback for national investigative agencies, a Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Ahmedabad has acquitted seven men—including six Pakistani nationals and an Indian national—of all terrorism, conspiracy, and narcotics smuggling charges connected to a high-profile 2019 mid-sea drug intercept off Gujarat's Jakhau port.

Presiding Judge H.R. Raval ruled that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence linking the accused to the seized contraband. While clearing all defendants of severe offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the court sentenced the six Pakistani nationals to eight years in prison and imposed a ₹25,000 fine each strictly for entering Indian territorial waters illegally without valid permits under Section 14(A)(B) of the Foreigners Act.

The sole Indian accused, Ramzan Gani Palani, a resident of Beyt Dwarka who was alleged to be the intended recipient of the consignment, was acquitted of all charges and ordered to be set free.

Lack of Videography and Direct Custody Evidence Weakens Prosecution

The case dates back to 24 May 2019, when a joint maritime operation by the Border Security Force (BSF), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), and Indian Coast Guard intercepted a suspected Pakistani vessel off the Jakhau coast. Authorities claimed the vessel was attempting to deliver 218 kilograms of narcotics to an Indian boat mid-sea.

Initially investigated by the DRI, which filed a chargesheet in a Bhuj court, the case was subsequently re-registered and taken over by the NIA owing to suspected narco-terrorism angles.

However, during the trial, defense counsel Hiren A. Patel—appointed through Legal Aid Services to represent the six Pakistani nationals—dismantled the prosecution's claims by highlighting crucial investigative lapses:

• No Direct Recovery: Defense attorneys argued that the contraband was retrieved from the sea rather than seized directly from the personal custody of the accused onboard the vessel.

• Absence of Visual Proof: Despite senior BSF and Coast Guard officials overseeing the operation, investigating officers failed to conduct any videography or photographic documentation of the mid-sea interception or recovery.

• Evidentiary Gaps: The defense maintained that without direct possession or conclusive forensic links connecting the crew to the floating drug packages, the charges could not stand scrutiny.

Acquittal under UAPA, NDPS, and Conspiracy Charges

Accepting the defense's arguments regarding the lack of concrete evidence, the Special NIA Court acquitted all seven defendants of charges under Section 120B (Criminal Conspiracy) and Section 201 (Destruction of Evidence) of the IPC, alongside stringent provisions of UAPA and the NDPS Act.

The six Pakistani nationals convicted under the Foreigners Act were identified as:

• Safdar Ali alias Kalu Alwarayu Sheikh

• Alahi Daad Angiyara Allabakhsh Sheikh

• Asim Khan alias Azim Osman Baloch

• Abdul Aziz Mohammad Zuma

• Abdul Gafur alias Shakidad Angiyara

• Safdar Ali (crew member)

With the court granting them credit for the time already spent in judicial custody since their arrest in May 2019, the six Pakistani nationals will serve out the remaining duration of their eight-year sentence under the Foreigners Act before deportation procedures commence