A field filled with opium poppy plants can be seen April 11, 2012, in Marjah, Afghanistan. Heroin is derived from raw opium gum, which comes from opium poppies. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Michael Snody)
By Sumit Khanna (Reuters) Indian officials said on Tuesday they had seized nearly three tonnes of heroin originating from Afghanistan worth an estimated 200 billion rupees ($2.72 billion) amid the chaos following last month’s takeover of the country by the Taliban.
Afghanistan is the world’s biggest illicit opiate supplier, but since taking power, the Islamist Taliban have said they plan to ban the drug trade, without giving details on how.
Two people had been arrested in connection with the haul and investigations were ongoing, an official in Gujarat said, declining to be named as he was not authorized to speak publicly.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), India’s top anti-smuggling agency, seized two containers at western Gujarat’s Mundra Port on Sept. 15 after receiving intelligence that contained narcotics, the official said.
The containers had been imported by a firm in the southern coastal city of Vijayawada, the official added.
“Investigation conducted so far has also revealed the involvement of Afghan nationals, who are under investigation.”
DRI officials declined to comment.
The narcotics were headed to Delhi and the two arrested people had sought an import-export license based on a house address in Vijayawada, police in Vijayawada said in a statement on Monday.
The containers had been declared as containing semi-processed talc stones from Afghanistan and had been shipped from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran to Gujarat Mundra port, the Gujarat official said, adding that forensic tests confirmed the presence of heroin.
More than 2,988 kg of heroin was recovered in one of India’s biggest such hauls to date.
(Reporting by Sumit Khanna and Zeba Siddiqui; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 110,498 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday announced the allocation of nearly $3 billion to fund 55 zero-emission projects at ports across the country. These projects, supported by the...
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has confirmed a significant bunker fuel spill in Singaporean waters off the coast of Changi. The spill occurred at approximately 5:40 p.m....
The ten largest U.S. container ports reported a 10.9% year-over-year increase in inbound volumes in September, marking the twelfth consecutive month of year-over-year growth, though slightly below August’s 19.5% jump,...
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 110,498 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
