Gujarat: Coast Guard get into lather in Diu drug chase, end up with detergent

AHMEDABAD: A high sea drama off Muldwarka coast saw an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) vessel intercept two boats - one towing the other. A futile search for contraband yielded huge amounts of powder - detergent powder - something that was not expected.
"In last one year, there have been three big seizures of drugs off Gujarat coast. This made us suspicious about the movement of these two vessels.The crew members can be booked for using a satellite phone illegally in Indian waters," an investigator said.
The ship 'Nadia Adib' along with an Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) that it was towing, Esnaad 712, were intercepted by ICG officials on Friday night at about 8.15pm.
Security agencies got suspicious when they found the vessel was transmitting her name as Sea Shell on the automatic identification system and not her name on records, defence sources said.
During initial radio interrogation, the ship's crew were suspected to be concealing facts, falsely reporting movement to VTMS Khambhat for emergency anchoring at Diu and seeking permission to refuel.
ICG sources said both vessels were intercepted by an ICG ship and brought to Muldwarka harbour for joint interrogation by ICG, marine police, customs and anti-terrorism squad (ATS) officials.
Investigators said the search and interrogation of about five Indian and nine Iranian crew members, after a powder-like substance was found from the ship, led them to conclude the suspected 'contraband' was washing powder.
"All the agencies have confirmed that the vessels were not engaged in any prohibited activity," said a source from an intelligence agency. The ship and two towed vessels, Esnaad 711 and Esnaad 712, had left Indonesia on April 27 and were on their way to Kuwait, according to the crew. Esnaad 711 sank near Diu due to flooding, but the ship owners hadn't informed Indian authorities of the incident, said Indian security officials.
Sources from the intelligence and security agencies conducting the investigation said the crew members are still being questioned and a search is on for the tug which the crew members claim had sunk off Diu. In the last two months, Gujarat ATS, Indian Coast Guard and directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) teams have apprehended huge quantities of contraband drugs from two ships passing through Indian waters off Gujarat coast.