KARACHI: In a high-stakes maritime operation near the quiet shores of Hub, a fast-attack patrol craft of the Pakistan Navy intercepted a suspicious dhow just a few cable miles off the coast.
Upon boarding and inspecting container-like crates on board, officials recovered 8,000 bottles of liquor and beer, 600 kilograms of hashish, and 200 kilograms of crystal meth (“ice”), with an estimated street value of approximately PKR 20 billion.
The operation was launched based on a joint intelligence alert by the Directorate of Excise, Taxation & Narcotics (South Zone Balochistan), the Pakistan Navy, and the Joint Maritime Information Coordination Center (JMICC).
Naval radars had detected a slow-moving vessel around 3 a.m., which had deviated from the designated navigational corridor and was heading toward “Silent Creek,” a remote coastal inlet south of Bela.
This entry point is notoriously known as a smuggling route for banned outfits like the BLA and BLF — Indian-backed proxy networks that use it for covert supply transfers.
Following the JMICC alert, a Navy commando unit boarded the vessel, while excise teams sealed off the Keti Bandar stretch of Kund Malir from the shore.
Back in 2024, 3.2 tons of hashish and 1.1 tons of liquor were seized from the same coastal belt — then valued at around PKR 4.5 billion.
But this year, a “high-value syndicate” has started mixing crystal meth into the shipments to double profits. A single kilogram of “ice” now fetches PKR 1–1.2 million even in local markets.
Authorities are now deploying an advanced monitoring system featuring deep-sea hunting-grade drones and blended thermal-optical sensors.
This system will geo-fence real-time movement not only of vessels but also of any containers dumped along the shoreline.
Officials view the Kund Malir raid not just as a successful operation, but as a strategic strike — effectively cutting off a major funding artery.
Proxy groups like BLA and BLF have long relied on narcotics trafficking to fund their operations and boost morale.
With this financial lifeline severed, their terrorist campaigns are expected to shrink significantly.
According to security sources, the next phase involves setting up an integrated “target kill zone” along inland supply routes from the coast to Balochistan.
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The goal: to intercept any suspicious movement within minutes — further tightening the noose on Indian-backed proxy networks.
