ICG seizes Indian fishing boat for 'smuggling' betel nuts from Bangladesh
New Delhi (PTI): Indian Coast Guard authorities stationed in West Bengal have confiscated an Indian fishing boat for "smuggling betel nuts from Bangladesh," officials said on Saturday.
Based on intelligence inputs, an ICG boarding team was immediately deployed to the reported spot, where the abandoned fishing boat -- 'Laxminarayan' -- was located and confiscated, they said.
"The boarding party carried out a thorough rummaging of the vessel and recovered 52 bags of betel nuts, each weighing 50 kg, amounting to a total seizure of 2,600 kg," the Indian Coast Guard said in a statement.
The ICG Station, Fraserganj, "successfully conducted an operation on January 22," leading to the seizure of an Indian fishing boat for "smuggling betel nuts from Bangladesh to India," it said.
The seized boat was subsequently escorted to Fraserganj and berthed at Benfish Fishing Jetty, officials said.
The boat, along with the seized contraband, has been handed over to the Coastal Police Station, Fraserganj, for further legal proceedings, they said.
The Indian Coast Guard, in close coordination with other maritime security agencies, maintains a high state of alert along the coastline and in maritime areas to prevent illegal activities and smuggling by anti-national elements, the ICG said.
The ICG remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the nation's security and economic interests, it added.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
