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News > World

India Coastguard Seize Drugs Valued at $550m

  • India is plagued by heroin problems in the northern state of Punjab. FILE

    India is plagued by heroin problems in the northern state of Punjab. FILE | Photo: AFP

Published 31 July 2017
Opinion

India is a popular transit point for smugglers due to its proximity to Afghanistan – the world's largest producer of opium, the main ingredient in heroin.

On Saturday, Indian authorities reportedly seized 3,300 lbs of heroin off the coast of Gujarat. The vessel transporting the narcotic was intercepted near the western state.

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Navy spokesman D.K. Sharma described the find as "the largest single haul of narcotics to date."

The street value of the drug is estimated to be $550m, according to a statement from the coastguard.

India is a popular transit point for drug smugglers in that region because of its proximity to Afghanistan – the world's largest producer of opium, the main ingredient in heroin.

The Asian nation is also plagued by heroin problems in the northern state of Punjab. A study suggests that more than 860,000 men between the ages of 15 and 35 are drug users, with heroin accounting for 53 percent of the addicts.

Large shipments of Afghan heroin are regularly smuggled across the Indian Ocean to eastern and southern Africa, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime explained.

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