Around 118 kg of cocaine worth an estimated ₹1,000 crore was seized from a cargo vessel off the Mundra coast in Gujarat’s Kutch district after the ship was intercepted by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), with three foreign nationals arrested in connection with the case, officers said on Wednesday.
“A ship was intercepted at the outer anchorage at Mundra Port and about five bags carrying around 118 kg of cocaine were seized. Two foreign nationals had brought the consignment on the ship for delivery to a Tanzanian national and a Ugandan national in Delhi,” Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) KLN Rao said.
How was the operation carried out?
The ATS had received intelligence that a cocaine consignment from Brazil was to be offloaded near Mundra on Tuesday. The consignment was being transported aboard the cargo vessel ‘Europe’ by crew members and was to be transferred at sea to a fishing boat before being taken to Delhi.
Also Read | Punjab leads in NDPS arrests in north India, Delhi in synthetic drugs; Haryana key transit route
The officers observed two crew members throwing bags into the sea on spotting the approaching team. “Five floating bags were recovered from the water. A total of 115 packets weighing 118.977 kg were seized from the bags, and samples tested positive for cocaine using a drug detection kit. Four Apple AirTags were also found concealed inside the consignment,” an officer said, adding that two Garmin GPSMAP 67i handheld GPS and satellite communication devices were recovered from the steering gear room.
{{/usCountry}}The officers observed two crew members throwing bags into the sea on spotting the approaching team. “Five floating bags were recovered from the water. A total of 115 packets weighing 118.977 kg were seized from the bags, and samples tested positive for cocaine using a drug detection kit. Four Apple AirTags were also found concealed inside the consignment,” an officer said, adding that two Garmin GPSMAP 67i handheld GPS and satellite communication devices were recovered from the steering gear room.
{{/usCountry}}A Tanzanian national, Juma Nasir Omar, was detained and later arrested, while another Tanzanian national, Ngingite Nassoro Jumanne, jumped into the sea during the raid and is being traced, officers said.
Omar told investigators that he had concealed the contraband in the ship’s motor room in November 2025 without the knowledge of other crew members and was acting on the instructions of a handler.
Also Read | ₹50 crore">MD lab busted in Agripada tower; 3 held with drugs worth ₹50 crore
Based on disclosures, Kelvin Chukwuma, a Nigerian national, and Byaruhanga James, a Ugandan national, were arrested from Dwarka in Delhi with the assistance of Delhi Police and are being brought to Gujarat for further investigation.
“115 kg cocaine. ₹1,000 crore. Busted,” Gujarat deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi said in a post on X, adding that Gujarat ATS, Indian Coast Guard and Kutch SOG worked together in the operation and that the state “will not be a gateway for drugs.”