The Andaman and Nicobar Police have destroyed of over 6,000 kg of methamphetamine, marking India’s largest maritime drug seizure.
The drugs, worth an estimated Rs 36,000 crore on the international market, were found aboard a fishing trawler near Barren Island in the Andaman Sea in November last year.
The operation kicked off on Saturday under the supervision of Director General of Police, Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal, and was broadcast live from multiple locations across the country.
The incineration, taking place in a crematorium furnace in Sri Vijaya Puram, Port Blair, is designed to minimise environmental pollution, as other disposal methods such as open burning and water disposal were deemed less effective.
The drugs were originally seized after a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft noticed the trawler, which was headed for Thailand but had drifted into Indian waters due to a technical malfunction.
The six Myanmarese crew members on board were arrested and face charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Foreigners Act.
The destruction of the drugs follows the guidelines of the Supreme Court and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Rules of 2022.
The Andaman and Nicobar Police’s efforts, supported by the Indian Coast Guard, the Narcotics Control Bureau, and local authorities, reflect India’s determination to combat the growing drug menace as part of the nationwide ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ campaign.
Support Our Journalism
The global Indian Diaspora and Australia’s multicultural communities need fair, non-hyphenated, and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. The Australia Today—with exceptional reporters, columnists, and editors—is doing just that. Sustaining this requires support from wonderful readers like you.
Whether you live in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, or India you can take a paid subscription by clicking Patreon
