DRI and Indian Coast Guard Seize ₹33 Crore Worth of Hashish Oil in High-Seas Drug Bust

Tuticorin: In a major anti-narcotics operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), intercepted a drug smuggling attempt in the high seas, seizing 29.954 kg of Hashish Oil valued at ₹33 crore from a tug-barge vessel bound for Maldives.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers identified a tug vessel towing a barge loaded with rock boulders that had departed from Tuticorin Old Port. Investigations revealed that a Tuticorin-based drug syndicate had covertly loaded a large quantity of Hashish Oil onto the barge mid-sea, with the help of an insider crew member.

Upon receiving this intelligence, the Indian Coast Guard swiftly intercepted the vessel on March 5, 2025, off the Kanyakumari coast. The vessel was then escorted back to Tuticorin New Port on March 7, 2025 for further examination.

Simultaneously, law enforcement officials apprehended the individual responsible for smuggling the drugs onto the vessel, along with his accomplice. The crew member who had shared the vessel’s location with the smuggling gang was also detained for further questioning once the vessel docked.

A detailed search of the barge led to the discovery of two bags containing 29 plastic packets disguised as food packages. Upon testing, the black-colored liquid paste-like substance inside tested positive for Hashish Oil using a field drug test kit.

In total, 29 packets weighing 29.954 kg of Hashish Oil, valued at ₹32.94 crore in the illicit international market, were seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The three arrested individuals were produced in court and remanded to judicial custody on March 8, 2025.