INDIA: Nine Iranians set their drug-laden boat on fire while chasing the Indian Coast Guard Ship on Wednesday.
The crew made “desperate attempts to run away” when approached by authorities off the coast of Gujarat in India’s west, a statement from the state’s anti-terror squad said.
“Indian Coast Guard Ship chased the boat and when apprehension became inevitable, its crew set the boat ablaze to destroy the evidences,” the statement said.
The coastguard managed to seize 220 pounds of heroin from the boat that exploded and sank because of the fuel and gas cylinders.
All of the Iranians have been pulled out from the sea and taken into custody.
The boat was believed to have been loaded in Pakistan at the port of Gwadar, the statement said.
The heroin seized has a street value of $72.5 million, officials added.