Chennai, April 14: In a major crackdown on marine wildlife trafficking, the Indian Coast Guard Station (ICGS), Mandapam, successfully seized a large consignment of illegally harvested sea cucumbers off the North Vedalai coast.
Indian Coast Guard in a statement on Monday said that acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding suspicious activity near a beaching point, Coast Guard personnel swiftly launched an operation that led to the seizure of approximately 145 kilograms of sea cucumbers, a protected marine species under the Wildlife Protection Act.
An official said that the seized consignment is estimated to have a market value of Rs 58 lakh, according to open-source data. He emphasised that this operation not only thwarted an attempt at the illegal transshipment of endangered marine life but also underscored its commitment to preserving India’s maritime biodiversity.
“The Coast Guard reaffirmed that it remains vigilant in safeguarding the nation’s maritime interests and will continue its anti-smuggling and anti-poaching efforts, along with marine environmental protection initiatives,” he said. The official added that this is the latest in a series of successful operations carried out by ICG Mandapam.
In a recent anti-narcotics operation near the Indo-Sri Lankan International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), an Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV) recovered 12 abandoned packages on First Island. Upon inspection, authorities seized 53.62 kg of ganja worth Rs 60 lakh, which was handed over to the Customs Department for further action.
In March 2024, the Coast Guard, in coordination with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Chennai, seized 99 kg of hashish worth Rs 108 crore from a country boat en route to Sri Lanka in the Gulf of Mannar. Based on intelligence developed by DRI’s Chennai Zonal Unit, surveillance was mounted using a Coast Guard ship.
During early morning hours, a suspicious country boat was detected and intercepted after a brief chase. Upon inspection, five sacks containing 111 packets of hashish – a sticky brown substance later confirmed using field testing kits – were discovered and seized under the NDPS Act. Three individuals onboard were apprehended and brought to the ICG Station in Mandapam.
During interrogation, they admitted to receiving the narcotics from a supplier at Pamban and were on their way to deliver them to unidentified recipients from Sri Lanka in international waters.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the narcotics were sourced from various parts of India for onward transshipment to Sri Lanka using traditional country boats. The main supplier, based in Pamban, is believed to have masterminded the entire smuggling operation. The Indian Coast Guard has reiterated its zero-tolerance approach to maritime crimes, particularly those involving smuggling, poaching, and threats to marine ecology. IANS