Crackdown on drugs, alcoholic beverages continues
Last week, the Coast Guard Police, led by the Musandam Police, seized a boat in Oman's territorial waters with three Iranian nationals on board, in possession of quantities of alcoholic beverages. Legal procedures are being completed against them.
In another case, the Coast Guard, in cooperation with the General Directorate for Combating Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, successfully intercepted a smuggling boat coming from the Islamic Republic of Iran after a precise tracking operation as it entered Omani territorial waters and attempted to evade police vessels.
The crew, consisting of three infiltrators of Pakistani nationality, was apprehended off the coast of Quriyat Governorate, with more than 70kg of hashish in their possession.
The Coast Guard Police, led by the Dhofar Governorate Police, thwarted an attempt to smuggle more than five hundred and fifty kilograms of drugs carried out by three individuals of Yemeni nationality who illegally entered Omani territorial waters via a fishing boat. Legal procedures against them are being completed
A house used by expatriate workers in Suhar was raided for storing large quantities of alcoholic beverages, and two individuals of Indian nationality were arrested with than 15,380 bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages.
The General Directorate of Customs, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control, thwarted an attempt to smuggle 11.65 kilograms of marijuana through Salalah International Airport. The quantity was seized in the possession of two Indian nationals, who had professionally concealed it within their luggage.
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Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Crackdown on drugs, alcoholic beverages continues
The law enforcement authorities, led by the Royal Oman Police (ROP), have been cracking down on the trafficking of narcotic substances and alcholic beverages, which continues to be reported at regular intervals. Last week, the Coast Guard Police, led by the Musandam Police, seized a boat in Oman's territorial waters with three Iranian nationals on board, in possession of quantities of alcoholic beverages. Legal procedures are being completed against them. In another case, the Coast Guard, in cooperation with the General Directorate for Combating Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, successfully intercepted a smuggling boat coming from the Islamic Republic of Iran after a precise tracking operation as it entered Omani territorial waters and attempted to evade police vessels. The crew, consisting of three infiltrators of Pakistani nationality, was apprehended off the coast of Quriyat Governorate, with more than 70kg of hashish in their possession. The Coast Guard Police, led by the Dhofar Governorate Police, thwarted an attempt to smuggle more than five hundred and fifty kilograms of drugs carried out by three individuals of Yemeni nationality who illegally entered Omani territorial waters via a fishing boat. Legal procedures against them are being completed A house used by expatriate workers in Suhar was raided for storing large quantities of alcoholic beverages, and two individuals of Indian nationality were arrested with than 15,380 bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages. The General Directorate of Customs, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control, thwarted an attempt to smuggle 11.65 kilograms of marijuana through Salalah International Airport. The quantity was seized in the possession of two Indian nationals, who had professionally concealed it within their luggage.
Muscat Daily
2 days ago
- Muscat Daily
Iran: 9 killed in attack on courthouse
Tehran, Iran – Nine people were killed on Saturday when unknown assailants launched a gun and grenade attack at a courthouse in southeastern Iran, local media reported. The assault happened in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan, near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan. The province frequently sees clashes between security forces and armed groups, including the Sunni group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), which has demanded greater rights and autonomy for Iran's ethnic Baloch. What do we know about the attack? State news agency IRNA reported that the attack targeted a courthouse in Zahedan, the capital of southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province. Zahedan lies some 1,130km (700 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran. The province's deputy police commander, Alireza Daliri, said the attackers attempted to enter the building disguised as visitors. The assailants threw a grenade into the building, Daliri said, killing several people inside. The dead included at least six civilians – including a mother and child – and three assailants, IRNA reported. More than a dozen others were injured. Citing eyewitnesses, the Baluch human rights group HAALVSH said several judiciary staff members and security personnel were killed or wounded. IRNA said the three dead gunmen were killed in clashes with security forces following the attack. The Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online news site labelled the killings a 'terrorist attack'. Iran's Baloch ethnic minority Sistan-Baluchistan province is home to Iran's Baloch minority, who have long complained of economic marginalisation and political exclusion. The province is one of the least developed parts of Iran. Baloch are typically Sunni Muslims, whereas Iran is majority Shiite. The Baloch homeland extends into Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, where residents have expressed similar grievances of economic marginalisation and where the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group has carried out numerous attacks. Who claimed responsibility? The semi-official Tasnim news agency blamed the attack on the group Jaish al-Adl. The group, which is composed mainly of ethnic Baloch members, is known for its violent attacks against Iranian security forces. Jaish al-Adl, which emerged in 2012, aims to secure greater rights and independence for the Baloch people in Iran. In a statement posted on its Telegram account, the group took responsibility for the attack. The statement urged 'all civilians to immediately evacuate the area of clashes for their safety'. In January 2024, Jaish al-Adl claimed to have assassinated three Revolutionary Guards officials, including Colonel Hossein-Ali Javdanfar, commander of the Sistan-Baluchistan Corps of the Quds Force. A few months later, the group launched coordinated attacks in the cities of Chabahar, Rask, and Sarbaz, targeting IRGC, naval, intelligence, and police facilities. Twenty-one security personnel and 18 attackers were killed. The Iranian government accuses the group of ties to foreign powers and involvement in cross-border smuggling and insurgency. DW
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
What does it take to make your embassy? In India, not much
NEW DELHI — There are more than 100 diplomatic missions based in India's capital, New Delhi. What does it take to set up your own? Not much, if you ask Harshvardhan Jain, aka 'Baron H.V. Jain.' Rent a bungalow, hoist some flags, park a few luxury cars on the curb, photoshop yourself into pictures with world leaders, and — voilà! — you have your own embassy. Until you are caught, that is. Indian police arrested Jain, 47, on Tuesday for running a fake embassy in a rented residential building in Ghaziabad, a city just outside New Delhi. This house, police said, alternately acted as the diplomatic mission for Westarctica or the Principality of Seborga or Poulbia Lodonia — depending on the day or the need, or the hour. These entities, technically, are 'micronations' — self-proclaimed sovereign states that lack a legal basis for their existence, as they are not recognized by other countries. For the better part of a decade, such legal inconveniences did little to undermine Jain's operation. Police said his building in Ghaziabad, with all its pomp and regalia, was the address for a range of criminal activities, from defrauding people of money by promising employment abroad to running a multinational hawala network — an informal system of transferring money that is illegal in India. Police officials suggested that Jain had been running his racket since at least 2017, when he declared himself the representative of Westarctica. His ambitions kept expanding from there. The micronation of Westarctica, in a statement on its website, said, 'Mr. Jain was an authorized representative engaging in unauthorized activities.' He had been made an 'honorary Consul to India' after he made a 'generous donation' to Westarctica, the statement said. The entity's website says it was set up in 2001 by Travis McHenry, an American citizen, while he was serving in the U.S. Navy. He refers to himself as Grand Duke Travis. In a statement on Westarctica's Instagram page, Grand Duke Travis said 'Baron H.V. Jain' had been removed from the micronation's 'roster of diplomatic representatives.' In an email to The New York Times, he added that Jain had had diplomatic number plates, passports, and many other items bearing the seal of Westarctica, none of which he had been authorized to produce. For almost eight years, Jain had created for himself the 'aura' of an important man, said Sushil Ghule, a senior superintendent of police involved in the investigation. 'An undiscerning layman will believe what he sees and cannot tell that it's all fraudulent,' he said. In the fake embassy, the police recovered 12 counterfeit passports representing different countries, 20 diplomatic license plates that had been obtained without authorization, stamps of government departments and agencies, forged documents, and foreign currencies — all used to keep up Jain's persona of a well-connected diplomat. Police said that Jain had a master's from a university in London and that he was well-traveled, having established dubious companies in several countries before returning to India. The son of an industrialist, he was booked by police in 2012 for owning a satellite phone, which is prohibited for use in India without a license. Ghule said police were still looking into the extent of Jain's activity from the fake embassy. Have they reached out to Westarctica for help with the investigation? 'No,' Ghule said. This article originally appeared in
