Pakistan Navy, Coast Guards foil smuggling attempt in Balochistan's Pishukan

The Pakistan Navy and Coast Guards in coordination with the Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre (JMICC), confiscated "a sizeable quantity" of liquor and illegal medicines in the Pishukan area of Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday. According to the military's media wing, the joint intelligence-based operation "thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large cache of contraband items" in the area. The operation was carried out on "actionable intelligence," the ISPR said, adding that the "seized contraband items have been handed over to the Pakistan Coast Guards for further legal proceedings." The military's media wing noted that the "successful joint operation underscores the effectiveness of inter-agency coordination in countering smuggling while highlighting the resolve of the Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Coast Guards to prevent the use of Pakistani waters and land for illicit activities." Read: Drug margins put under scrutiny Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the Navy and Coast Guards for "successfully foiling a major smuggling attempt in the Pishukan area of Balochistan." According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the premier noted that as a result of the joint action, carried out under a joint anti-smuggling operation, a large stockpile of prohibited items, including liquor and illegal medicines, were confiscated. Praising the operation, PM Shehbaz stated that "mutual coordination and cooperation between institutions is of utmost importance for uprooting the menace of smuggling from the country." The prime minister also praised the "professional capabilities, alertness, and preparedness of the personnel who took part in the operation," the PMO's statement noted. Earlier this year, in April, the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) confiscated foreign liquor worth Rs200 million during a joint intelligence-based operation in the Arabian Sea. A maritime interdiction operation had led to the interception of a stateless vessel carrying a large quantity of illicit liquor that was concealed onboard and intended for unlawful distribution. The operation was carried out through the coordinated efforts of the Pakistan Navy, PMSA, the JMICC, and the Anti-Narcotics Force of Sindh. Even earlier in the year, in February, the Border Military Police seized silver and narcotics worth more than Rs100 million during a major crackdown on smuggling along the inter-provincial border, as part of a broader campaign against drug trafficking and illegal trade. Read More: Alleged drug cases reported in 58 Pakistani universities in 2025 During the operation, authorities recovered 41 kilogrammes of silver, 13kg of crystal meth (ice) and 55kg of hashish, with the contraband allegedly being smuggled from Balochistan into Punjab. Towards the end of last year, too, agencies continued coordinated action against the smuggling of contraband items. In November 2025, the ANF seized narcotics worth more than $154 million from an LPG container during an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan. The operation was launched after credible evidence indicated that a Drug Trafficking Organisation operation out of Panjgur was preparing to transport a large consignment of narcotics to the Gwadar-Pasni coastline for onward smuggling by way of sea.