Adani Group Clarifies On 3,000 Kg Heroin Seized At Mundra Port; Calls Out Malicious Campaign Against Company

The Adani Group has released a media statement after several political parties and media outlets indulged in a malicious social media campaign against the firm over the seizure of illegal drugs at Mundra Port by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Customs officials.

In the statement, the company said that it is only the port operator and does not have the authority to check shipments arriving the port.

"The law empowers the Government of India’s component authorities such as the Customs and the DRI to open, examine and seize any unlawful cargo. No port operator across the country can examine a container. Their role is limited to running the port,” the statement read.

“We sincerely hope that this statement will put to rest the motivated, malicious and false propaganda being run on social media against the Adani Group. 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," it further added.

Notably, the DRI, an enforcement agency under the Union Finance Ministry, had seized a total of 2,988.21 kg heroin from two containers at the Mundra port around 15 September.

The Congress launched an attack on the government over the seizure of drugs at Mundra port, alleging that it must be the largest illegal drug haul in the world. The Congress questioned the silence of the government and the measures it is taking to deal with it, particularly drugs from Afghanistan.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday Pawan Khera, Congress Spokesperson, said, "The latest raid and seizure of almost 3 tonnes, should be the largest illegal drug haul in the world, not just India. But how did it come to this? What has the Government and Narcotics Control Bureau been doing all this while?"

The Congress party has been maliciously targeting the Gujarat government, Adani Group and the Central government over the drug bust.