Arrest of 9 Iranians with 100 Kilograms of Heroin on the Shores of India

Indian government officials reported on Wednesday, March 27, that the country's coast guard arrested 9 Iranians in the waters off the coast of Gujarat with a shipment of 100 kilograms of heroin. According to the French news agency, India's anti-terrorism police stated that following a warning from the coast guard, the occupants of the vessel initially attempted to escape, and when they realized there was no way out, they set their boat on fire to destroy evidence of their crime. The police were able to retrieve 100 kilograms of heroin from the vessel before it sank. The boat contained 24,000 liters of fuel and gas cylinders. The French news agency reported that the 9 Iranians rescued from the boat stated during interrogation that they loaded their shipment at the Gwadar port. Indian officials said that the value of the seized heroin is over 72 million US dollars. Local media reported that the Gujarat police had previously received reports about smugglers attempting to transfer an illegal drug shipment from the coast, which led to alerts being sent to the coast guard and other security forces in the state. According to these reports, the coast guard became suspicious of the vessel after 24 hours of patrolling the Gujarat coast. Gujarat police officials stated that the individual who was supposed to receive the shipment has been identified, and legal actions for his arrest have begun.