Porbandar: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has seized drug consignments worth Rs 5,516 crore from boats and ships during the first 10 months of 2021, its spokesperson said on Monday.
“Drugs seized since inception (2009) has been worth Rs 11,524 crore. From January 1, 2021, to October 31, 2021, value of of narcotics seized was Rs 5,516.25 crore,” ICG’s spokesperson said in a statement here.
ICG Director General K Natarajan had on November 25 said most of the drug consignment comes to India through the Makran coast (in Pakistan).
“We have a certain amount of information and intelligence towards that,” he had said.
The ICG works in close synergy with various agencies and as a result of which, it continues to maintain the surveillance of sensitive borders, be it with Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, he noted.
“Our presence has always been there and we continue to put almost 40-44 ships and 10-12 aircraft to maintain surveillance over 2.1 million sq km,” he added.
As a result of which, in the last two years, the ICG has apprehended more than 3.5 tonnes of drugs coming through the sea route, he had noted.
Natarajan had said the drug smuggling activities that used to take place to the Gujarat coast and off the Lakshadweep coast have moved away beyond the equator.
“That is the success, not just for the ICG but various other agencies such as the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), state fisheries authorities, port authorities and state intelligence agencies,” he mentioned.