In a major anti-narcotics operation, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Indian Coast Guard busted an international drug trafficking network and seized 115 kg of cocaine worth around Rs 1,150 crore from a cargo vessel near Mundra port in Gujarat, officials said on Wednesday.
Three foreign nationals have been apprehended in connection with the case, while a search is underway for another suspect who allegedly jumped into the sea during the operation.
Addressing a press conference, Gujarat Director General of Police KLN Rao said the cocaine consignment had travelled through Latin America, Mexico, the United States and Karachi in Pakistan before reaching the cargo vessel ‘Europe’, anchored near Mundra port in Kutch district.
The operation was launched after the ATS received specific intelligence inputs regarding a large cocaine consignment being smuggled from Brazil through the maritime route.
Contraband thrown into sea
ATS officials, along with the Coast Guard, intercepted the vessel in the early hours of May 26 at the outer anchorage near Mundra.
During the search operation, two crew members allegedly threw several heavy bags containing narcotics into the sea after spotting the approaching Coast Guard vessel.
Officials said five floating bags were recovered despite poor visibility, while one bag remains untraced.
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Preliminary testing confirmed the seized substance was cocaine. Around 115 packets weighing nearly 115 kg were recovered from the bags, officials said.
The seized consignment is estimated to be worth Rs 1,150 crore in the international market.
Investigators also recovered GPS devices, satellite communication equipment and four Apple AirTags from the bags, indicating that the narcotics shipment may have been electronically tracked during transit.
Foreign nationals arrested
According to the ATS, Tanzanian nationals Ngingite Nassoro Jumanne and Juma Nasir Omar were allegedly transporting the consignment aboard the vessel.
While Omar was apprehended from the ship, ATS teams, with assistance from Delhi Police, detained two alleged receivers from Delhi’s Dwarka area, Nigerian national Kelvin Chukwuama and Ugandan national Bairunge James.
The police said another Tanzanian suspect, Jumanne, jumped into the sea during the raid and remains missing.
During interrogation, Omar allegedly disclosed that the cocaine had been loaded onto the vessel in Brazil in November 2025 and hidden inside the motor room without the knowledge of other crew members.
Officials said the seized narcotics and electronic equipment have been taken into custody and investigation under the NDPS Act is underway.
Authorities described the seizure as one of the biggest maritime drug busts in recent years and the 15th successful joint anti-narcotics operation carried out by the Coast Guard and Gujarat ATS in the past five years.
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