Heroin worth $44 million seized from India's largest commercial port

It is the second major consignment of drugs to be intercepted at Mundra port in less than a year

Mundra port in Gujarat. The authorities were searching for the narcotics following a tip-off from police in Punjab. Photo: Borealis

Indian police have seized 75 kilograms of heroin worth more than 3.5 billion rupees ($44 million) in a container near the country's largest commercial port of Mundra, in the western state of Gujarat.

Counter-terrorism police and anti-smuggling officers found the drugs hidden inside rolls of fabric.

The contraband was meant to be taken to Punjab — a northern Indian state plagued by drug abuse.

The consignment had reportedly arrived at the port on May 13.

The authorities were searching for the container following a tip-off from police in Punjab.

“We got suspicious as the containers were only one-third filled, which seldom happens," said Ashish Bhatia, Gujarat's top police officer.

This is the second major consignment of drugs to be intercepted at Mundra port in under a year.

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The authorities intercepted three containers at the port with almost 3,000 kilograms of heroin worth 210 billion rupees in September last year.

The haul was the largest in the country and one of the biggest in the world.

Gujarat ports have been increasingly used by drug traffickers and smugglers for shipping contraband.

At least six drug seizures involving 700 kilograms of contraband have been made by anti-terrorism police this year.