Drug packet found floating in sea off Guj coast, seized by BSF

The Border Security Force (BSF) has seized a packet of drugs, worth around Rs five crore, found floating in a creek area of the Arabian sea in Gujarat's Kutch district, an official said on Monday.

The contraband, spotted on Sunday evening by a BSF patrolling team, is suspected to be part of the drug packets thrown into the sea by Pakistani smugglers to avoid detection after they were surrounded by the Indian Coast Guard on May 21, he said.

The packet seized on Sunday weighed nearly one kg and contained a drug worth around Rs five crore, the BSF official said, without specifying the contraband.

It will be handed over to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which is investigating the drug seizure from a Pakistani boat in May, he said.

In June also, the BSF, Coast Guard and Marine Police, during a joint search operation, found around a dozen such packets floating in the sea off the Kutch coast.

On May 21, six Pakistani nationals were arrested by the DRI off Jakhau port for trying to smuggle 218 kg of narcotics into Gujarat, after the Coast Guard intercepted their boat, named 'Al Madina'.

When the Coast Guard challenged the Pakistani crew mid-sea, they threw around 136 packets into the sea to avoid detection.