India's 'biggest' drug bust was heading to LTTE: NCB

KOCHI: The Pakistan gang-run drug trading through the Indian Ocean was headed to LTTE, doubts Narcotic Control Bureau. The motherships and smaller vessels carrying the drugs were purposefully drowned by the gang kilometers away from the Kochi sea. The officials meanwhile unearthed the mothership and found Rs 25000 crore worth of banned drugs including methamphetamine from it. The mothership also had a flag of Srilanka hoisted in it.

The vessels and the motherships were headed to Srilanka, there exists no other possibility, says NCB officials. The navy has initiated works to bring ashore the drowned vessels and search for the stocked drugs or any other shocking evidence from it. In 2018, the NIA arrested nine Sri Lankan nationals from Tiruchirapalli for running a drug cartel mostly aimed at destination Sri Lanka. The kingpin of the gang was Gunashekhar aka Guna. The NCB has now confirmed the camaraderie between Guna and the Pakistan-based Haji Salim network.

This network used to cart drugs to as far as Iran, Pakistan, and Dubai, escaping the security eyes. In 2018, it was just 300km away from Vizhinjam port where 5 AK-47s and 300 kg of heroin were seized. The findings later led to the arrest of Guna and his gang from Trichy.

The NCB has reportedly asked for help from the Indian navy while the arrested Pak national Subair is being grilled by NIA.