Huge Drug Haul Off Gujarat Coast: But Are Alarm Bells Ringing Yet?

The seizure of about 3,330 kgs of drugs with a street value of at least Rs 30,000 Cr by the Indian Navy in tandem with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Wednesday from a dhow off the coast of Porbandar and the arrest of five Pakistanis should ideally send alarm bells ringing in our security establishment. But, if the past is any indication, no such thing will happen. Similar mega seizures have happened in the past, but they have not resulted in a crackdown on the narco syndicates operating with impunity in India.

The fact that the Pakistani smugglers were planning to offload thousands of crores of drugs on the India coast, shows that there were operators on Indian soil who were to receive the contraband and distribute it locally.

The dhow seized on Wednesday was carrying 3,089 kgs of charas, 158 kgs of methamphetamine and 25 kgs Morphine. Recently, the Pune police recently seized 1,800 kgs of mephedrone, valued at Rs 3,700 crore in the international market. Raids were conducted at a chemical factory in Daund taluka, two warehouses in Vishrantwadi, Pune, as well as stores in South Extension of Delhi, and several places in Sangli district. Sundip Dhunay, a British citizen of Indian descent, is the main suspect in the case, accused of masterminding drug manufacturing operation. The laxity of the authorities can be gauged from the fact that even though he was arrested earlier by the DRI in Patna, he later came out of jail and was outsourcing drug manufacture in Pune region. In the present Pune case he is on the run.

In 2021, 2,988 kilograms of heroin was seized in Gujarat's Mundra port. The estimated value of the drugs, which was shipped from Iran's Bandar Abbas port, was a whopping Rs 21,000 crore. In this case also, a few street-level persons were arrested, while the mastermind was not even questioned.

Despite pronouncements by ministers, the fact is that there is no political will to neutralise the drug syndicates. The Dawood Ibrahim gang is the biggest operator with a pan-India network of distributors. Its clout at the international level can be gauged from the fact that when its key person Jabeer Motiwala was arrested in London, the U.S. state department had put in an extradition request. But in no time he was acquitted of all charges and Washington took back its request for extradition.

The British government restored his visa and he is back in Karachi. His people are active in Mumbai, but no one dares touch them. Kailash Rajput, Kamal Chhada, Prem Shetty are other big time drug operators for D Company who have only been in the radar of our anti-narcotics agencies for the past few years. But no effort is being made to bring them to justice in India. The ground reality is that the drug syndicates have powerful godfathers in politics. In Mumbai, a politician was accused of links to Iqbal Mirchi who was based out of London and was working for D Gang. Despite solid evidence of the nexus between Mirchi and the neta, no action has been taken against the latter. It is business as usual.

Published on: Thursday, February 29, 2024, 11:33 AM IST