Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, Oct 18: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 137 kg (gross) of crystal methamphetamine, a banned synthetic drug, worth Rs 100 crore in the illicit drug market from a coastal village in Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district and arrested four persons, an official said on Sunday.
The consignment was allegedly intended to be smuggled to Sri Lanka, the DRI said, adding that the four accused were arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and remanded to judicial custody.
The operation was launched following specific intelligence that a large consignment of narcotic substances had been transported to a coastal location in Nagapattinam district for storage and subsequent smuggling to Sri Lanka, the DRI said in a statement.
A search conducted at the location led to the recovery of six duffel bags containing 27 packets wrapped in silver foil, each weighing approximately 5 kg, it said. The packets were opened and samples of the powder inside were sent for laboratory testing.
The packets contained a white crystalline substance suspected to be high-purity methamphetamine. The contraband was seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985, the DRI said.
In a simultaneous search at the premises of the suspected organiser, DRI officers seized Rs 10 lakh in cash, suspected to be proceeds from the sale of narcotics. Two four-wheelers and a two-wheeler allegedly used to transport the drug consignment were also seized.
The operation exposed a drug-trafficking network involving individuals responsible for organising the coastal export, transportation, storage and logistics of the consignment. Four persons have been arrested in connection with the case and remanded to judicial custody.
The DRI said the operation had removed a significant quantity of contraband from illicit circulation and dismantled a drug-trafficking network. The seizure highlighted the agency’s continued efforts and enforcement capabilities in disrupting organised drug trafficking and preventing the use of India’s coastline as a route for illicit narcotics.
DRI officials described the operation as a major crackdown on organised drug trafficking and one of the biggest narcotics seizures in Tamil Nadu’s coastal region in recent years.