New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday said it has seized 145 kilograms of sea cucumbers worth Rs 58 lakh during an anti-poaching operation. Sea cucumber harvesting and trade are banned in India under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. "On April 13, 2025, Indian Coast Guard Station Mandapam (at Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu) seized 145 kilograms of illegal sea cucumbers worth Rs 58 lakh during an anti-poaching operation. A major step towards safeguarding our marine environment and curbing illegal transshipment," the coast guard posted on microblogging site X. The coast guard and Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had recently seized 300 kilograms of drugs valued at Rs 1,800 crore, which smugglers dumped into the Arabian Sea before fleeing across the International Maritime Boundary Line.
According to a statement issued by the ICG on Monday, the seized contraband, suspected to be methamphetamine, has been handed over to the ATS for further probe. The coast guard and ATS had carried out a joint operation near the International Maritime Boundary Line in the Arabian Sea off Gujarat on the intervening night of April 12 and 13, the statement said.