AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Indian Coast Guard seized around 526kg of heroin and methamphetamine, valued at more than Rs 3,000 crore in the international market, after intercepting an Iranian dhow in the Arabian Sea west of Lakshadweep, officials said.The seizure occurred on Sept 25, and the dhow was brought to Mumbai on Wednesday morning.The operation followed intelligence received by Gujarat ATS inspector J M Patel on Sept 10 about a suspected international narcotics deal involving a Nigerian national and associates.The intelligence indicated that an Iranian boat named Azad was being used to transport around 500kg of methamphetamine and heroin to Indian waters, where the consignment was to be transferred to a boat from Tamil Nadu.According to ATS, an advance payment for the consignment had been made through the hawala channel, while the remaining amount was to be paid after delivery. The drugs were allegedly to be unloaded along the Tamil Nadu coast and moved in smaller quantities through several vehicles before being delivered to a Nigerian national in Punjab.Sunil Joshi, DIG of Gujarat ATS, said, “The consignment was sent by Haji Salim from Pakistan. Salim was earlier associated with a big consignment and had been named by various agencies in connection with several seizures.” Joshi added, “The operation began on Sept 14. The boat had an instrument which allowed the accused to use the internet while on the move.”Intelligence indicated that a Nigerian national had recently met a wanted Gujarat-based man and they had planned to smuggle the drugs from Iran to India, Joshi said.“In the vast expanse of open sea, pinpointing the target vessel was a formidable challenge,” Joshi said. “However, the Coast Guard crew and our officers executed the operation successfully.”Following the intelligence input, senior Gujarat ATS officers alerted the Indian Coast Guard headquarters in Delhi. Under the guidance of ATS SP K Siddharth, a team comprising inspectors B H Korot and V N Vaghela was sent to Kochi, where it joined Coast Guard officers to form an operation team.The team subsequently sailed aboard a Coast Guard vessel and conducted surveillance and checks of suspicious boats.Five Pakistani nationals were found aboard the dhow: Mohammad Yakub Balochi, Shakirullah, Faridullah, Ahmed Khan, and Wahidullah Khan, all residents of Peshawar.A search of the vessel led to the recovery of approximately 400kg of methamphetamine and 126kg of heroin. During preliminary questioning, the crew allegedly revealed that Azad had sailed from Konarak in Iran and that the drug consignment had been transferred to it from a small boat from Gwadar, Pakistan.Further investigation is under way and a case is being registered by ATS. Investigators are probing the international network behind the consignment, the intended recipients, and the hawala transactions linked to the deal.Sources said Gujarat ATS also had specific inputs about a meeting held between a Nigerian and some locals. Officials said they are also probing the meeting.Coast Guard said the operation demonstrated its surveillance and maritime interdiction capabilities and its commitment to preventing illicit activities in India’s maritime zones.In April 2025, Coast Guard and Gujarat ATS seized 307.5kg of narcotics off the Gujarat coast.