New Delhi, Mar 5 (IANS): Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Mandapam on Tuesday said that in a joint operation with Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Chennai, they seized 99 Kgs of Hashish drug worth Rs 108 crores from country boat sailing towards Sri Lanka in Gulf of Mannar.

The ICG said that the officers of DRI Chennai Zonal Unit developed specific input which indicated that a gang is planning to smuggle narcotics substances from India to Sri Lanka via coastal route near Mandapam sea coast.

“Officers of DRI and Indian Coast Guard mounted surveillance over the Gulf of Mannar through Indian Coast Guard Ship on the intervening night of 4 & 5 March 2024. During the surveillance at deep sea, officers of DRI and Indian Coast Guard identified a country boat sailing towards Sri Lanka and intercepted the same after a brief hot pursuit,” the ICG said.

It said that on interception, officers rummaged through the boat and found 05 sacks concealed inside the boat.

“The country boat along with the contraband and three persons on board were brought to Indian Coast Guard Station Mandapam in the morning for further investigation,” it said.

It said that during interrogation, they admitted that the bags packed with narcotic substances were received from a person at Pamban Coastal area and based on his instruction they were carrying the same for further handing over to some unknown persons from Sri Lanka who would arrive at deep sea.

“On examination of seized sacks, a total of 111 no. packets weighing 99 kgs in total containing brown colour sticky material was detected which on testing with a field testing kit was found to be Hashish, a NDPS substance with international market value of around ? 108 crores and was seized under NDPS Act. All four persons were apprehended for further investigation,” the ICG said.