New Delhi, March 9 The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in a joint operation with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), arrested three persons and seized 29.954 kg Hashish Oil valued at Rs 33 crore from a tug-barge vessel sailing towards Maldives, an official said on Sunday.
DRI officers developed specific intelligence and identified a tug vessel towing a barge laden with rock boulders, which had departed from Tuticorin Old Port.
“It was revealed that a gang based in Tuticorin covertly loaded significant quantities of Hashish Oil onto the barge mid-sea during its voyage to the Maldives, with the assistance of a crew member from the vessel,” said a statement.
At the behest of the DRI, the Indian Coast Guard intercepted the vessel on March 5, 2025, in mid-sea off the Kanyakumari coast and escorted it back to Tuticorin New Port by March 7, 2025.
Meanwhile, the individual responsible for placing the narcotic drug on the vessel, along with his accomplice, was apprehended. Additionally, the crew member involved in sharing the vessel's location with the gang was also apprehended for further investigation once the vessel docked, it said.
Rummaging of the barge vessel resulted in recovery of two bags containing 29 plastic packets with description of food items printed on it.
The packets were examined and found to contain ‘black liquid paste like substance’, which on testing with the field test kit resulted positive for ‘Hashish Oil’, said the statement.
In total, 29 packets weighing 29.954 kg of Hashish Oil, valued at Rs 32.94 crore in the illicit international market, were recovered and seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act,1985.
The three accused were arrested and remanded to judicial custody on March 8, 2025, the statement mentioned.
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