Indian police to query Starlink on device used in huge haul of smuggled drugs

3/12/2024 19:58

        Indian police will seek details from Elon Musk's Starlink, they said on Tuesday, in a bid to hunt down drug smugglers who used its satellite internet device to navigate deep seas and bring meth worth $4.25 billion into Indian waters for the first time.
        
        In their biggest such seizure, police in the remote outpost of the Andaman and Nicobar islands uncovered more than 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) of meth last week in a Myanmar boat carying sacks of suspected contraband, and detained six Myanmar nationals.
        
        But the incident has set off alarm bells as it is the first time Starlink's device has been used to navigate and reach Indian waters, Hargobinder S. Dhaliwal, a top police officer in the Andaman islands who is handling the case, told Reuters.
        
        Starlink, which says it provides coverage in international waters, has plans to launch in India, but says its coverage in territorial waters is contingent on government approval.