The Andaman and Nicobar Police made a significant breakthrough on 28 November 2024, recovering advanced satellite communication gear and navigation coordinates from a Myanmarese vessel intercepted earlier this week. This vessel was involved in what officials are calling the largest-ever drug bust in the region, with around 6,000 kilograms of methamphetamine valued at over ₹36,000 crore.
The vessel was intercepted in a joint operation by the Crime and Economic Offence Police Station (C&EO) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on 25 November 2024. Among the recovered items were Starlink satellite communication equipment and GPS coordinates pointing to Rangat and Neil Islands. Starlink, a high-speed internet service provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, offers connectivity even in remote maritime areas, making it valuable for coordinating illegal activities far from conventional communication networks.
HGS Dhaiwal, Director General of Police, confirmed that investigators traced the main suspect, Zay Yar Soe, to Tachileik, a border town near Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, an area notorious for drug trafficking. Police also uncovered Soe’s boarding passes from 28 September and 7 October, showing his travel between Yangon and Tachileik.
The investigation has revealed a complex, multinational operation. According to Dhaiwal, Soe detailed his movements across Southeast Asia during questioning. On 30 September, he returned to Yangon, where he spent about a week making logistical preparations. On 7 October, he flew to Kwathang, a town near the Myanmar-Thailand border, to finalize the delivery details with the buyer.
In mid-October, Soe traveled from Kwathang to Myeik, where he purchased and registered a boat with a new engine and fishing permits—likely an effort to disguise the vessel as a legitimate fishing trawler. He then sailed back to Yangon, arriving on 7 November. The vessel loaded its cargo and departed for Kwathang on 20 November.
The breakthrough came when an ICG Dornier aircraft, conducting a routine patrol near Barren Island (about 150 km from Port Blair), detected suspicious movement. The vessel was intercepted by the ICG ship ‘Aruna Asaf Ali’ on 23 November and apprehended the following day.
“There is a possibility the vessel was drifting intentionally,” Dhaiwal said, noting that technical analysis would be needed to confirm this. Authorities also recovered an envelope containing 5,000 kyats and coordinates pointing to an area near Sumatra, Indonesia, south of the intended delivery point.
Crucial evidence was found on Soe’s mobile phone, including photos and a video taken on 23 November showing the loading of packets into gunny bags—hours after the ICG first spotted the vessel. “Each gunny bag contained 50 packets, except one which had 49. It’s likely that one packet was consumed by the crew,” the DGP added.
A senior ICG officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that the operation was the result of enhanced surveillance and cooperation between agencies. “In recent months, Andaman and Nicobar Police and the ICG have been working together in response to increasing sightings of Rohingya boats and Myanmarese poaching vessels. This cooperation led to the largest single seizure of methamphetamine in the region’s history,” the officer said.
The six Myanmarese crew members aboard the vessel were detained for questioning, and forensic teams confirmed the substance in 10 of the 222 gunny bags was methamphetamine, totaling approximately 6,016 kilograms.
This operation underscores the growing sophistication of drug trafficking in the region, with smugglers using advanced technologies like Starlink for coordination. The Andaman Sea route, strategically located between the Golden Triangle and major drug markets, has become increasingly vital for drug smuggling networks.
In the past five years, the Andaman and Nicobar Police have successfully intercepted about 1,100 kilograms of narcotics and arrested 640 individuals. Additionally, they have apprehended 423 foreign poachers and seized over 5,000 kilograms of marine resources, including sea cucumbers and turbo shells.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times)
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