Overview
- The Special NDPS Court in Bhuj on Friday sentenced six Pakistani nationals to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined each Rs 2 lakh.
- The case traces to December 20, 2021, when the Gujarat ATS and Indian Coast Guard intercepted a Karachi-origin boat about 35 nautical miles off Jakhau and seized 76.936 kg of heroin worth about Rs 384.68 crore from five bags.
- The men, all residents of Karachi, were arrested on the vessel and later booked under NDPS Act Sections 8(c), 22(c), 25 and 29 after an ATS FIR.
- Prosecutors placed 203 documents and 13 witnesses before the Sixth Additional Sessions and Special NDPS Court, where Judge V A Buddha said the plot targeted India’s youth and endangered internal security.
- The judgment closes the trial-court phase of a high-profile cross-border trafficking case that began with an intelligence-led mid-sea operation coordinated by state police and the coast guard.