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India seizes ship with 1,500 kg of heroin worth $545 million

Click to play video: 'India seizes vessel carrying 1,500kgs of heroin off Western coast'
India seizes vessel carrying 1,500kgs of heroin off Western coast
WATCH: India seizes vessel carrying 1,500kgs of heroin off Western coast – Jul 30, 2017

India‘s coast guard authorities said Sunday they have seized a massive amount of heroin from a ship off the country’s western coast.

The 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds) of narcotics was estimated to be worth millions of dollars, and the vessel was believed to be registered in Panama, the agency said.

The ship was seized on Saturday.

READ MORE: Addiction expert supports free heroin

Coast guard authorities said this was the biggest seizure of narcotics in recent years, the Press Trust of India reports.

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The vessel had eight crew members onboard and was heading for the Alang shipyard in Gujarat state, the agency said. The crew has been detained for questioning.

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Click to play video: 'Heroin packets with picture of Donald Trump on them confiscated in drug bust'
Heroin packets with picture of Donald Trump on them confiscated in drug bust

India falls on a lucrative drug-smuggling route because nearby Afghanistan is a major producer of opium, the main ingredient in heroin.

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Details on where the consignment originated and people involved in the smuggling were not immediately known. A joint investigation by the Indian coast guard, intelligence agencies, police and the Navy was underway.

 

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