Flying high: Over 6,000 kg meth busted, cartel’s network under probe

port blair: The Andaman & Nicobar Police, in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard, intercepted and seized 6,016 kg of methamphetamine, marking the largest-ever drug bust in India. Six Myanmar nationals were arrested during the operation, revealing a highly sophisticated and transnational drug trafficking network, the officials informed on Friday.

The suspects were presented before the court and sent for seven days of police custody, where intense joint questioning revealed to them the cartel’s working model, its structure and how it was operating at an international level.

Thorough scrutiny of the seized vessel revealed that substantial evidence was found, such as advanced communication devices and a Starlink satellite dish, proving that the cartel was not technologically inferior. The boat master was identified as a key operative of the cartel and he was traced to have been frequenting Tachileik, Myanmar, which is an important hub in the Golden Triangle’s methamphetamine trade. His movements also connected him to Kwathoung on the Myanmar-Thailand border and regions such as Sumatra in Indonesia and the Rangat and Neil Islands in the Andaman & Nicobar archipelago.

The investigators are also probing the GPS coordinates taken from the ship, which may lead them to other leads in the cartel’s smuggling routes and regional activities.

The operation was strictly legal, and the sampling and certification of the 222 bags of methamphetamine were done within 48 hours as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court. The police have been meticulous in their procedural compliance since the start of the investigation.

The authorities believe that this case shows the vast transnational network of the cartel, which spans the Golden Triangle, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region. There are joint efforts with other national and international agencies to dismantle the cartel and trace the full extent of its operations.

The case findings are likely to significantly contribute to India’s overall anti-drug trafficking efforts, further strengthening the government’s commitment to the “Nasha Mukt Bharat” initiative led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.