New Delhi: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on 15 September seized nearly 3,000 kg of heroin from Gujarat’s Mundra port — the largest consignment caught by the DRI so far — sources in the agency told ThePrint. The high-quality contraband is estimated to be worth over Rs 21,000 crore in the international market.
“This is the first heroin shipment caught in Mundra port. In the past year, the DRI has seized two large consignments of heroin at Navi Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva port — one last year, weighing 193 kg and the other seized this year in July, which weighed over 200 kg. But the one seized at Mundra is the largest consignment caught by DRI so far,” a source in DRI claimed.
“The DRI, on 15 September, had intercepted two containers shipped from Iran. The heroin is suspected to have been sourced from Afghanistan and the international street value of the seized narcotics will be about Rs 7 crore per kg. One container had 1999.57 kg heroin, while the other had 988.64 kg. So the total estimated value of the seized contraband is over Rs 21,000 crores.”
According to the source, the consignment had been imported by a Vijaywada-based company from Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port and the heroin was scheduled to be taken to Delhi.
“Two persons — M. Sudhakar and his wife Durga Vaishali — owners of the import firm were arrested after the containers were seized and brought to Gujarat subsequently. More arrests will take place as investigation proceeds, the role of certain Afghan nationals is being looked into, raids are being conducted across states — Delhi, Chennai, Gujarat,” the source claimed.
Meanwhile, the opposition Tuesday hit out at the Modi government over the large consignments of narcotics being seized at the Adani-owned port.
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The modus operandi
According to the source, the couple had been residing in Chennai for the past couple of years and were running the Vijaywada-based firm from there. He added that the company had brought in the consignment from Iran by declaring that the containers had “semi-processed talc material from Afghanistan”.
“Upon seizure of the containers, samples were sent for testing under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and experts from Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Gandhinagar confirmed it to be heroin,” the source said.
He added that while some of the heroin had been mixed with talc, the remaining was left in its almost pure form in different bags.
The official, however, refused to divulge the exact roles of the two suspects arrested in the consignment.
Hitting out at the government on the narcotics catch, Karnataka Congress member, Srivatsa Y.B. tweeted: “In Modi’s India, 59 grams of Weed > 3000 kgs of Heroin. Govt used ED/CBI/NCB & leaked WhatsApp chats of Bolly Actresses. But even after World’s Biggest Heroin Seizure at Adani’s Mundra Port, there is pin-drop silence. Modi went after Rhea when Pablo Escobars are booming in India.”
In Modi’s India,
59 gms of Weed > 3000 kgs of Heroin
Govt used ED/CBI/NCB & leaked WhatsApp chats of Bolly Actresses
But even after World’s Biggest Heroin Seizure at Adani’s Mundra Port, there is pin-drop silence
Modi went after Rhea when Pablo Escobars are booming in India
— Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) September 21, 2021
Congress national spokesperson Pawan Khera too held a press meet on the drug haul.
Press meet by @Pawankhera about the drug haul of heroin estimated to be worth about ₹ 21,000 crore at the Mundra port owned by the Adani group.#BJPGujaratDrugsModel pic.twitter.com/HNrul4gwJQ
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) September 21, 2021
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