Ahmedabad: Preliminary forensic examination of the 203 kg of suspected contraband seized from an Iranian speedboat off the Porbandar coast last month has found that the material was neither a narcotic nor a psychotropic substance, a news report said.

The seizure was carried out on February 17 during a joint mid-sea operation by the ATS and the Indian Coast Guard near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The consignment was initially believed to be part of a major drug trafficking attempt. Two Iranian nationals were detained during the operation, and 203 packets containing a crystalline substance were recovered.

However, preliminary forensic reports indicate that the substance is not banned, suggesting the case may involve cheating rather than drug smuggling, an unusual outcome in an international interception, a TOI report said. However, the exact nature of the substance will be confirmed only after the final forensic report.

It is learnt that investigators suspect the shipment may have been part of a fraudulent deal in which the sender allegedly supplied a non-narcotic material while claiming it to be contraband, possibly after taking advance payment. The plan reportedly involved a mid-sea transfer to an Indian vessel, after which the consignment was to be transported to Punjab, the report added. DeshGujarat