India set to investigate Starlink to hunt down drug smugglers

Indian police on Tuesday (December 3) said that they will investigate Elon Musk-owned Starlink so as to hunt down drug smugglers. 

The smugglers used a satellite internet device to navigate deep seas and to bring meth worth $4.25 billion inside the Indian waters for the first time. 

The police made their biggest seizure as they uncovered more than 6,000 kg of meth in the remote outpost of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands last week in Myanmar. 

The boat was filled with sacks of suspected contraband and six Myanmar nationals were detained after the seizure.

The incident for the first time brought into light how a device of Starlink was used for navigating and reaching Indian waters, which raised concerns, said Hargobinder S. Dhaliwal, who is the police officer in charge of the case, while speaking to Reuters.

Watch: Indian Think Tank Flags Security Risks Posed by Starlink

Starlink has earlier claimed that it covers international waters and is now planning to launch in India but has added that its coverage in territorial waters depends on government approval.

“This (case) is different because it is bypassing all the legal channels. They directly operated (phones) with satellite, creating a Wi-Fi hotspot,” Dhaliwal said. 

He added that he has planned to get details from Starlink, like who purchased the device along with its usage history. “They (smugglers) were using Starlink since their journey started from Myanmar,” he added.

According to the estimate of Andaman and Nicobar police, the retail market value of seized meth was 360 billion rupees ($4.25 billion).

According to Dhaliwal, the smugglers used the Starlink Mini device, which has been described as “a compact, portable kit that can easily fit in a backpack” on its website.

The police have said that they are investigating if there is any involvement of local or foreign syndicates in the whole network.

In its report, the UNODC said that India has been methamphetamine’s growing transit and destination market. 

(With inputs from agencies)