₹3,000cr drug haul: Latest seizure puts Coast Guard’s counter-narcotics role in focus

The latest seizure of drugs worth ₹3,000 crore in the Arabian Sea in a joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard, Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad and central intelligence agencies has put the spotlight on the growing scale of narcotics smuggling on the high seas.

It has also underscored the Coast Guard’s pivotal role in thwarting drug smuggling attempts.

Since its inception almost 50 years ago, the Coast Guard has seized more than 14,000 kg of narcotics worth more than ₹58,300 crore, official data accessed by HT shows. In 2024, the Coast Guard authorities recorded their largest annual narcotics haul, seizing drugs worth ₹37,193 crore.

The Coast Guard seized drugs valued at over ₹3,000 crore in the international market from an Iranian boat operated by five Pakistani nationals, all of whom were arrested, following a more than two-week-long high-seas operation to foil a drug-smuggling attempt in the Arabian Sea. The contraband seized included 526 kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine. It was the fourth drug haul by the Coast Guard this year. It has foiled 26 attempts to smuggle drugs into the country over the past five years.

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The Coast Guard has seized 8,500 kg of narcotics worth ₹46,543 crore in the past five years --- accounting for the bulk of all drug seizures since it was established in 1977, pointing to a significant rise in maritime drug trafficking.

The Coast Guard attributes mission success to “unyielding maritime dominance, robust surveillance grid, and resolute commitment to maintaining zero tolerance against illicit activities within India’s sovereign waters and extended maritime zones.”

Drug smuggling is among the key maritime security challenges, alongside illegal fishing, tracking of suspicious vessels, terrorism and other security threats.

Other contraband accounts for a much smaller share of the seizures; the Coast Guard has confiscated illicit goods worth ₹300 crore since it was established, including items worth ₹127 crore since 2022, the data shows.

Coast Guard ships regularly undertake boarding operations during patrols to enforce maritime laws and deter inimical elements. “Since year 2009, a total of 383,507 boarding operations have been conducted. A total of 23,795 boarding operations have been conducted during the year 2025,” said the defence ministry’s annual report for 2025-26.