In a huge haul of drugs, heroin worth Rs 1,000 crore was seized at the Nhava Sheva port,Mumbai on Saturday. The smuggled weighed around 191 kilograms and was confiscated after the officials received a tip-off. It was smuggled to India from Afghanistan via Iran.
An official said that when they examined the container, they detected orange-coloured gunny bags that had been imported by Sarvim Exports. The products inside the gunny bags had been labelled as Glycyrrhiza glabra extract or licorice root extract.
The drug had been hidden in plastic pipes that had been painted to make them look like bamboos. The contraband had been proclaimed an Ayurvedic medicine, to make the transport easier.
The wooden pipes were covered with bark that appeared to be pasted on them. When the officials removed the outer bark, they noticed that it was a green pipe with a powder stuffed inside it. An NDPS test was also conducted to ensure that the powder was heroin.
The Customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized the contraband after a Customs official gave a tip-off. Following this, officials of special intelligence and investigation branch (SIIB) approached the DRI for help.
After the test confirmed that contraband was being transported into the country, the NDPS confiscated it. Two customs house agents- Meenanatha Bodake of MB Shipping and Logistics Solution and Kondibhau Pandurang Gunjan were arrested for their involvement in the case. The two accused were produced before a court and were remanded in judicial custody.
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