Heroin-coated yarn worth £46m seized from Indian port

Indian authorities seized nearly 90 kg. of heroin worth $58m (£46m) from Pipavav port in the western state of Gujarat last week. It had been kept in bags containing heroin-soaked yarn bales.

The yarn bales were kept in refrigerated containers and had been stored at the port for five months before being seized. According to a report in The Independent, the consignment had come from Iran. The operation to seize the consignment was carried out jointly by the Gujarat Police, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

"The container was filled with yarn, but an examination showed that the threads were laced with a heroin derivative, before being dried and converted into bales," said a Gujarat police officer.

The agencies had acted after receiving input about the presence of narcotics at the port. Gujarat's Director General of Police (DGP), Ashish Bhatia, explained that the bales were kept in refrigerated shipping containers to ensure that the liquefied drug remained bonded to the yarn.

"To disguise the drug-laced yarn, they were shipped along with other bags that contained bales of ordinary yarn. The modus operandi, in this case, would have required the extraction of heroin mixed in the threads," read a statement from the authorities.

Pipapav is the third such port where massive drug consignments have been seized in recent times. The officials made a record seizure of 3,000 kg. of heroin from a consignment of talc in September 2021 at Mundra Port.

Another consignment containing 205 kg. of heroin was seized from Kandla Port last month. The heroin, in this case, was mixed with gypsum, according to local reports.

Recently, nine Pakistani nationals were also arrested for trying to smuggle 56 kg. of heroin worth Rs 280 crore into India. The operation was conducted jointly by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard and a Pakistani boat had also been seized.