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NEW DELHI: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) intercepted a suspicious foreign vessel inside India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on Sunday. The boat, carrying an Iranian crew, was found with a large consignment of smuggled foreign-brand cigarettes.In a post on X, the Indian Coast Guard said, ”On 21 Feb 26, India Coast Guard ship intercepted a suspicious foreign boat inside the Indian EEZ, approximately 115 NM west of Dwarka.” After boarding the vessel, officials identified it as Al Mukhtar. The boat was manned by four Iranian crew members. During a detailed search of the storage areas, officers found 200 cartons containing around one lakh packets of foreign-brand cigarettes. The cartons were hidden deep inside the vessel.The boat and its crew have been taken into custody. The Coast Guard said the vessel is being escorted to Porbandar for further investigation and joint questioning with other concerned agencies.This seizure comes just days after another maritime operation. On February 17, the Indian Coast Guard carried out an intelligence-based operation at sea along with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad.
