March 05 - In a joint operation, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a drug smuggling attempt near Mandapam on Tuesday. Four people have been apprehended and drugs worth Rs 108 crore seized.

Officers of the DRI Chennai Zonal Unit along with the Indian Coast Guard received a tip-off about the smuggling of narcotics substances from India to Sri Lanka via the coastal route near the Mandapam coast. The DRI and Coast Guard team mounted surveillance over the Gulf of Mannar through a Coast Guard ship on the intervening night of March 4 and 5.

During the surveillance at deep sea, the team found a country boat sailing towards Sri Lanka and intercepted it after a brief hot pursuit. The team inspected the boat and found five sacks concealed inside. The country boat along with the contraband and three persons on board were brought to Coast Guard Station Mandapam for further investigation.

The accused confessed that the bags were packed with narcotic substances received from a man at Pamban. Based on their statement, the team learned that the contraband was meant to be handed over to someone from Sri Lanka at sea.

In a swift follow-up action, the DRI officials apprehended the man, who gave the contraband to the three-member gang, from his house. During interrogation, it was revealed that was the mastermind behind the organised smuggling of narcotics substances from India to Sri Lanka via the coastal route. Preliminary investigation revealed that the seized drugs were transported from different parts of the country for further transportation to Sri Lanka by country boats.

A total of 111 packets weighing a total of 99 kg were seized from the boats. The packages contained a brown sticky material which was later on testing found to be hashish, with international market value of around Rs 108 crore, and seized under the NDPS Act.