Indian Navy's Elite MARCOS Seize 940 Kg Of Narcotics In Arabian Sea Operation

The elite Marine Commandos (MARCOS) of the Indian Navy seized 940 kg of narcotics from an Arabian Dhow while patrolling the Arabian Sea as a member of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 42-nation naval partnership. The commandos were deployed on warship INS Talwar operating in support of the Canadian-led CTF 150.

The MARCOS intercepted the dhow, which was moving in a suspicious manner, in the western Arabian Sea, and seized 453 kg of methamphetamines, 416 kg of hash and 71 kg of heroin. The action was part of Focused Operation Crimson Barracuda, which aimed at countering the use of high seas by terrorist and criminal organisations for smuggling operations in the western Indian Ocean region.

The Royal Canadian Navy commander of CTF150, Captain Colin Matthews, commended the Indian Navy for seizure of 940 kg of narcotics. "This seizure, the fourth of this Focused Operation, demonstrates the effectiveness and professionalism of CMF and of the Indian Navy in deterring and disrupting criminal and terrorist activities at sea," he said.

The Indian Navy had joined CMF in November 2023 and is deployed with one of the five combined task forces CTF 150 to deter and disrupt the ability of non-state actors to move weapons, drugs and other illicit substances in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.