The terminals run by Adani Ports will not handle cargo from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan starting November 15. This was announced by the Adani Group on Monday amidst criticism following a huge drugs haul in Gujarat.
“With effect from 15th November, APSEZ will not handle EXIM (Export-Import) containerized cargo originating from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the group said in a statement. “This advisory will apply to all terminals operated by APSEZ and including third party terminals at any APSEZ port till further notice,” the statement added.
On September 13, around 3,000 kilograms of heroin was seized from two containers at Gujarat’s Mundra port, run by the Adani Group. The consignment had reportedly come from Afghanistan, one of the largest illegal producers of opium.
The heroin was found concealed in jumbo bags said to contain unprocessed talc powder. To avoid detection, the drug was placed in the lower layers of the bags and then concealed with talc stones on top. The seizure was made during a joint operation by the Customs department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and the consignment was valued at around ₹ 20,000 crore, sources had said.
It also triggered a series of raids across the country in which eight persons, including Afghan and Uzbekistan nationals, were arrested.
Following wide criticism on social media over the drugs haul, the Adani Group had said it had no power to police and examine containers.
In a statement released soon after, the Adani Group said: “No port operator across the country can examine a container. Their role is limited to running the port… APSEZ is a port operator providing services to shipping lines. We have no policing authority over the containers or the millions of tonnes of cargo that pass through the terminals in Mundra or any of our ports.”
