420kg crystal ice worth Rs4.9bn seized

Personnel of the Pakistan Customs and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) conducted an anti-drug operation in the Arabian Sea and recovered over 400 kilograms of crystal ice worth several billions of rupees.

Syed Irfan Ali, a spokesman for the Customs, said that in the ongoing efforts to combat the menace of drug smuggling, a successful operation was carried out acting on credible information.

He said the operation was conducted by the Anti-Smuggling Organisation Team of the Enforcement Collectorate Customs, Karachi, with the assistance of the PMSA in the high seas, resulting in the recovery of an enormous cache of 420kg of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice.

He also said that the value of the seized synthetic drug in the international market is approximately Rs4.9 billion. The personnel also seized the launch being used for conveyance and arrested the five crew members, he added. The spokesman said that an FIR has been registered, and further legal proceedings are under way. All the smugglers and drug addicts in the boat have been transported to Karachi, he added.