Gujarat ATS, Coast Guard seize 119 kg cocaine off Mundra coast, Tanzanian arrested

In a major anti-narcotics operation, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard, seized nearly 119 kilograms of cocaine from a cargo vessel anchored off the Mundra coast in Kutch district and arrested a Tanzanian national allegedly involved in smuggling the consignment from Brazil to India.

According to officials, the seized contraband, weighing 118.977 kilograms, was recovered from five floating bags allegedly thrown into the sea by crew members aboard the cargo vessel 'Europe' after they spotted a Coast Guard patrol team approaching the ship in the outer anchorage area near Mundra during the early hours of May 26.

The operation was launched after Gujarat ATS Police Inspector J M Patel received specific intelligence that two crew members aboard the vessel identified as Ngingite Nassoro Jumanne and Juma Nasir Omar, had concealed around 150 kilograms of cocaine in multiple bags and were planning to transfer the consignment to a fishing boat near Mundra. The narcotics were allegedly meant to be supplied to two foreign nationals based in Delhi, Kelvin Chukwuma and Byaruhanga James.

Following the intelligence input, senior ATS officers constituted multiple teams under the supervision of ATS SP K Siddharth. Officers, including Police Inspectors V R Jadeja and B M Patel and PSI J P Varmora, were dispatched to Mundra, while another technical surveillance team remained stationed at the ATS headquarters.

ATS officials later coordinated with senior Indian Coast Guard officers at Mundra and formed a joint operational team. The teams subsequently sailed towards the indicated location in a Coast Guard vessel and maintained surveillance in the outer anchorage zone.

Officials said the joint team identified the cargo ship 'Europe' anchored in the area and noticed suspicious movement by two individuals on the deck. As the Coast Guard vessel approached, the suspects allegedly threw several heavy bags into the sea in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.

With the assistance of Coast Guard personnel, five floating bags were recovered from the water. During preliminary examination, officers opened packets from two bags and tested the substance using a narcotics detection kit, which confirmed the presence of cocaine.

A total of 115 packets containing cocaine were recovered from the bags. Investigators also found four Apple AirTags concealed inside the consignment, indicating that the shipment may have been digitally tracked during transit.

Officials from the Kutch-Bhuj Special Operations Group (SOG), Coastal Police and Marine Police also participated in the operation.

After the recovery of the contraband, ATS and Coast Guard teams boarded the vessel and questioned crew members in the presence of the ship’s captain. During interrogation, suspect Juma Nasir Omar allegedly confessed that he had smuggled the cocaine from Brazil and secretly concealed it in the ship’s motor room in November 2025 without the knowledge of other crew members.

According to ATS officials, Omar stated that he was acting on the instructions of his handler and was supposed to deliver the narcotics consignment near the Gujarat coast.

During the search operation aboard the vessel, another accused, identified as Ngingite Nassoro Jumanne, allegedly jumped into the sea in an attempt to escape. Search operations to trace him were continuing at the time of the press note.

Further searches of the cargo vessel led to the recovery of two Garmin GPSMAP 671 GPS and satellite communicator devices allegedly hidden inside the Steering Gear Room of the ship.

The ATS subsequently seized the narcotics and all related electronic devices before formally arresting Omar under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Meanwhile, ATS teams, with assistance from Delhi Police, rounded up the two alleged receivers of the consignment, Kelvin Chukwuma and Byaruhanga James, from Dwarka in Delhi. Officials said arrangements were being made to bring them to Gujarat for further investigation.

Police said both accused present aboard the vessel are Tanzanian nationals, while among the suspects detained in Delhi, one is a Nigerian national and the other is from Uganda.

Officials said the Mundra Port Authority also assisted during the operation, particularly during the boarding of the vessel and the search operation for the absconding accused.

Describing the seizure as a major success against international narcotics trafficking, officials said the case highlighted effective coordination between multiple enforcement agencies, including Gujarat ATS, the Indian Coast Guard, Delhi Police, Marine Police and port authorities.