80 kg drugs worth ₹800 cr seized from Kutch, Karachi connection suspected

Cocaine's Karachi connection?

The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) interrogated six suspects, but no developments have been received in this case.

As per the sources, Karachi-based Haji Salim used to supply drugs for two years.

Who is Haji Salim?

The Pakistan-based notorious drug dealer, Haji Salim, is said to be involved in the current case. Salim has dozens of drug cases registered under his name.

As per media reports, the mastermind behind the narcotics network spanning Pakistan and the Indian Ocean, Salim, is frequently spotted at Dawood Ibrahim's residence in Karachi.

Salim’s name is also reflected in a charge sheet for the smuggling of heroin and pistols in Dec 2022.

A total of 40kg of heroin, 12 Italian pistols, 12 magazines, and 120 cartridge pistols were seized in a boat called Al-Soheli by the Gujarat ATS.

Gujarat police have seized a mammoth drug consignment from Kutch, amounting to ₹800 cr on Sept 28.

Massive drug consignment seized 

As per the primary details, east Kutch police landed upon a drug consignment of around 80 kg worth nearly ₹800 cr on Sept 28 near the coast of Gandhidham.

The Kutch police seized a total of 80 packages, each of 1 kg, from the Mithi Rohar valley in an unclaimed state at the shore.

The drugs have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for further examination.

Initial investigations suggest that the seized drug consignment is cocaine.

As per the police, the packages were lying unclaimed in the valley area for 25 days before they reached the spot and seized them.

Police accounts paint a bigger picture

Unofficial accounts from the police department strongly suspect that Kutch was not the last destination for these narcotics, but it can be a part of further distribution channels, shipping them to different destinations.

It is noteworthy that the local police extensively combed the area a month ago and interrogated nearly 200 locals, establishing their network in the area.

The police, tipped off by one of the locals, reached the spot with Special Operations Group (SOG) and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams to comb the valley waters, where they landed upon the drug packages.

Sagar Bagmar, superintendent of police (SP), east Kutch police, said, “We have been carrying out search operations under the ‘No drugs in East Kutch’ campaign.”

Speaking on the bust, he said, “Some unknown personnel must have intended to deliver this consignment to someone, but due to some reason, the delivery failed, which led to the drugs being disposed of here. The search operation is still underway, and we cannot also deny the possibility of more drug packets being found here.”

Locals shed light on the area’s geographics

As per the locals, the Mithi Rohar valley, where police found the drugs, is a relatively shallow coast, and can be accessed by boat only when the tidal current is high.

For the rest of the time, the shore remains damp and muddy, making it difficult to import goods through the channel.

The coast hardly sees any activity from the cargo and container ships and is generally accessed by locals of the area.

Growing drug nexus in Gujarat

While local Gandhidham police have earned a pat on the back from the government and top officials for this bust, the drug nexus in Gujarat is growing day by day.

Drug consignments in large quantities are being seized frequently from Gujarat’s coastal areas. The Border Security Force (BSF) recently seized several packages from the Kutch coastline.

Before this, a massive consignment of drugs worth ₹1,600 cr was seized from Kutch, and six people were apprehended for it, which was the biggest drug bust of 2016-17.

Drug consignments amounting to more than ₹35,000 cr have been seized in Gujarat in the last five years.

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