Officers of the DRI Chennai Zonal Unit along with the Indian Coast Guard received a tip-off about the smuggling of narcotics substances from India to Sri Lanka via the coastal route near the Mandapam coast.

The DRI and Coast Guard team mounted surveillance over the Gulf of Mannar through a Coast Guard ship on the intervening night of March 4 and 5.

During the surveillance at deep sea, the team found a country boat sailing towards Sri Lanka and intercepted it after a brief hot pursuit.

The team inspected the boat and found five sacks concealed inside. The country boat along with the contraband and three persons on board were brought to Coast Guard Station Mandapam for further investigation.