On October 11, Adani Ports Ltd has issued a statement announcing that starting from November 15, 2021, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) would not handle Export-Import (EXIM) containerised cargo originating from Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. The advisory came after almost a month since approx 3,000 KG of heroin was seized from two containers at Mundra port.
Just In: Adani group announces that Mundra Port will not handle EXIM containerised cargo originating from Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan from November 15th. This will apply to all terminals operated by Adani group and those operated by third party. @the_hindu
— Mahesh Langa (@LangaMahesh) October 11, 2021
Signed by Subrat Tripathy, Chief Executive Officer, APSEZ, the advisory stated, “Please be informed that with effect from November 15, 2021, APSEZ will not handle EXIM containerised cargo originating from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This trade advisory will apply to all terminals operated by APSEZ and including third party terminals at any APSEZ port till further notice.”
Notably, APSEZ has been under continuous attack on social media platforms since the drugs were seized on September 16. To counter the attack, the company had to issue a statement on September 21 clarifying that it was only responsible for operating the port and provide services to shipping lines. The company further added that they do not have any policing authority over the containers on Mundra or any of the ports managed by Adani Ports.
It is notable here that after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, there is widespread concern that the Islamic radicals will peddle drugs into Indian and other markets. Most of the Taliban’s income comes from opium drugs.
Mundra Port Drug Haul
Around 3,000 KG worth of heroin was seized on Mundra Port on September 16 by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). Since then, Adani Group has been under attack on social media platforms. It was found during investigation that the cargo that had arrived from Afghanistan via Iran’s Bandar Abbas port was under the name of Aashi Trading firm based in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
As per reports, DRI had got a tip-off about the consignment and had been working to seize it. The investigating agencies found that the consignment was declared as “talcum powder” by the Vijayawada based firm. As per sources quoted by news reports, the exporting firm has been identified as Hassan Hussain Ltd., based in Kandahar, Afghanistan. On October 6, the investigation of the drugs seized at Mundra Port was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
