Gujarat ATS finds AirTags, GPS in 119 kg Mundra cocaine haul worth ₹1,150 crore
Synopsis
Smugglers are now tagging cocaine like luggage. Gujarat ATS has recovered 4 Apple AirTags and 2 Garmin GPS units embedded inside a 119 kg cocaine haul off Mundra — worth ₹1,150 crore — exposing how an alleged Brazil-to-India trafficking syndicate used consumer tech to shadow its shipment across oceans.
Key Takeaways
Gujarat ATS recovered 4 Apple AirTags and 2 Garmin GPS devices hidden in cocaine packets seized off Mundra .
The haul totals about 118.977 kg of cocaine, valued at roughly ₹1,150 crore internationally.
Seizure followed a joint Gujarat ATS- Indian Coast Guard operation on 26 May targeting cargo vessel 'MV Europe' .
Tanzanian crew member Juma Nasir Omar was arrested; another, Ngingite Nassoro Jumanne , allegedly jumped overboard and is untraced.
Two suspected receivers detained from Delhi ; cocaine allegedly originated in Brazil .
Forensic analysis of the trackers is underway to map the shipment's route and identify more suspects.
Investigators probing one of India's largest recent maritime cocaine seizures have recovered four Apple AirTags and two Garmin GPS devices concealed inside the narcotics consignment off the Mundra coast, a finding the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) says points to a sophisticated international trafficking syndicate. The electronic trackers were discovered during the sampling and seizure of nearly 119 kg of cocaine, valued at around ₹1,150 crore in the international market.
How the trackers were found
According to ATS officials, the AirTags and GPS units were embedded inside brick-shaped packets of cocaine and surfaced during sampling under Section 52A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, conducted in the presence of a judicial magistrate. Investigators believe the supplier deployed the devices to monitor the consignment's movement across international maritime routes.
The Mundra seizure
The contraband was intercepted in a joint operation by the Gujarat ATS and the Indian Coast Guard in the early hours of 26 May, after intelligence flagged suspicious activity around the cargo vessel 'MV Europe' near Mundra's outer anchorage in Kutch district. Several bags were allegedly thrown overboard during the operation; five floating bags were later recovered, containing 115 packets of cocaine weighing approximately 118.977 kg.
ATS officials had earlier indicated that around 150 kg of cocaine was reportedly concealed aboard the vessel for an offshore transfer along the Gujarat coast. The cocaine is alleged to have originated in Brazil.
Arrests and a missing crew member
Tanzanian national Juma Nasir Omar, a crew member of the vessel, was arrested during the operation. He allegedly told investigators that the cocaine had been stashed in the ship's motor room in November 2025 on instructions from handlers linked to an international trafficking network.
Another Tanzanian crew member, Ngingite Nassoro Jumanne, reportedly jumped into the sea during the operation and remains untraced. The ATS has also detained two suspected receivers of the consignment from Delhi with assistance from local police.
What the trackers may reveal
Forensic analysis of the recovered AirTags and GPS devices is underway. Data extracted from them is expected to help investigators reconstruct the shipment's route, identify handling locations, and surface additional suspects in the trafficking chain. Officials said the investigation into the international syndicate's Indian footprint remains ongoing.
Point of View
Garmin units sold for hikers — to manage multi-hundred-crore shipments across oceans. That lowers the cost of running a global supply chain and complicates interdiction, because the same retail device that pings a suitcase can ping a cocaine brick. The bigger question for Indian agencies is whether forensic data from these trackers will be admissible and actionable enough to climb the chain to handlers abroad, or whether — as in past maritime busts — the trail ends with low-level crew. The Brazil-Mundra corridor's repeated surfacing also suggests India is no longer just a transit point on the global cocaine map.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Gujarat ATS find inside the Mundra cocaine consignment?
The Gujarat ATS recovered four Apple AirTags and two Garmin GPS devices hidden inside brick-shaped packets of cocaine. Officials say the trackers were used by the supplier to monitor the shipment's movement across international maritime routes.
How much cocaine was seized off the Mundra coast?
Authorities recovered approximately 118.977 kg of cocaine, packed in 115 packets across five floating bags. The haul is valued at around ₹1,150 crore in the international market.
Who has been arrested in the Mundra cocaine case?
Tanzanian national Juma Nasir Omar, a crew member aboard 'MV Europe', has been arrested and allegedly told investigators the cocaine was stashed in the ship's motor room in November 2025. Two suspected receivers have also been detained from Delhi, while another Tanzanian crew member, Ngingite Nassoro Jumanne, is reported to have jumped overboard and remains untraced.
Where did the cocaine reportedly originate?
Investigators allege the cocaine originated in Brazil and was being moved through international maritime routes before reaching Indian waters. The seizure was made near Mundra's outer anchorage in Gujarat's Kutch district.
What will forensic analysis of the AirTags and GPS devices reveal?
Forensic teams are extracting data from the recovered trackers to reconstruct the shipment's route and identify locations where it was handled. The findings are expected to help investigators uncover additional individuals in the international trafficking chain.
