Heroin goes out, gold comes in: Intelligence report flags multi-crore smuggling via Kerala coast

Kannur: Fishing boats are being used to smuggle large quantities of drugs worth crores of rupees from Kerala's Malabar coast to Sri Lanka, with gold being brought back to India as payment, according to a report by the Central Intelligence agency.

The report says consignments of heroin and methamphetamine worth several crores of rupees are being transported through fishing boats. The drugs are allegedly taken from Kerala's coastal areas to Sri Lanka, while gold is smuggled back into Kerala on return trips.
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Besides Kerala's coastline, coastal areas in Tamil Nadu, including Thoothukudi, Vedaranyam, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari, have emerged as major routes for drug smuggling to Sri Lanka, the report says.

Investigating agencies suspect that smuggling through sea routes has increased following the tightening of enforcement under Operation Toofan. The information has been passed on to the State Intelligence Department.
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Drugs hidden inside fish and ice

Smugglers are using several methods to transport narcotics through fishing boats, according to the report.

One of the main methods involves removing the internal organs of large fish, placing drugs packed in plastic covers inside them, stitching them back up and covering them with ice for transportation. Drug packets are also concealed among catches of fish.

The report further says that smugglers create specially designed secret compartments inside fishing boats to hide narcotics. Drugs are also packed in plastic covers and concealed inside blocks of ice. The smell of fish makes it difficult to detect the presence of drugs quickly.