The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has recovered 25.45 kg of heroin from a container at Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai and arrested three persons, the agency said on Saturday. As in the case of nearly 3,000 kg of heroin seized at Mundra Port in Gujarat last month, this consignment too had originated in Afghanistan, as per a DRI statement.
Also, probably for the first time heroin was found concealed in oil cans which made it nearly impossible to detect the drug during usual examination, it said. The container was imported from Kandahar in the name of an importer firm with address of Masjid Bunder in South Mumbai, the DRI said, adding it arrived via Chabahar port in Iran.
The DRI Mumbai Zonal Unit had specific intelligence that contraband had been smuggled in cans of sesame seed oil and mustard oil, it said. When the container was examined at Nhava Sheva Port, DRI officials found off-white material concealed at the bottom of five cans of mustard oil. Upon further examination, 25.45 kg of heroin was recovered, the statement said.
The importer was an Indian national who had lived in Iran for long. During interrogation he revealed details about his Afghanistan connections, the DRI said. The person was arrested under the the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. His questioning also led to the arrest two more persons from Delhi on Friday. They were allegedly involved in `Hawala' transactions for smooth import of the consignment, the DRI statement said, adding further probe was on.
Earlier, the DRI had seized 294 kg of heroin in July at Nhava Sheva Port. The consignment had originated in Afghanistan and was shipped through an Iranian port.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment