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

An Indian Navy boat patrols in the waters of the Andaman Sea near Port Blair, the capital of India's Andaman and Nicobar islands

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.

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

He said he planned to seek from Starlink details such as who bought the device and when, as well as its usage history.

"They (smugglers) were using Starlink since their journey started from Myanmar," he said.

Starlink did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Andaman and Nicobar police estimated the seized meth had a retail market value of 360 billion rupees ($4.25 billion).

Their inquiry comes as Starlink inches closer to a launch in India after lobbying for months to secure satellite spectrum, following a face-off with Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani who repeatedly opposed the move and urged spectrum auctions.

Dhaliwal said the smugglers used the Starlink Mini device, described on its website as "a compact, portable kit that can easily fit in a backpack".

Police in the Andaman and Nicobar islands have said they are checking the involvement of any local or foreign syndicates in the whole network as they tackle the latest seizure case from various angles.

In 2023, seizures of methamphetamine, or meth, as it is known, reached a record high of 190 tons in east and southeast Asia, as meth trafficking on maritime routes has increased in recent years, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says.

India is a growing transit and destination market for methamphetamine from Myanmar, the UNODC said in its report this year.