Pramesh S Jain & Thomas (Special correspondent)
Custom officials busted international racket and seized heroin and ecstasy pills worth Rs 9.82 crore smuggled through air cargo into the Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport .
The officials nabbed two suspects in this connection.
Based on specific intelligence of concealment of contraband,the officers of Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU)and Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB),Bengaluru Airport and Air Cargo Commissionerate, intercepted two shipments in the International Courier Terminal that had arrived from Zambia and Belgium.
During scanning process found something amiss about the consignments.
The parcel that reached Bengaluru from Belgium was cut open to reveal 4.58 kg of colourful pills which was later established to be MDMA drugs commonly known as Ecstasy pills or Molly.
The seized drugs were worth Rs 2.82 crore in the international market.
Another consignment of machine parts shipped from Zambia in southern Africa was flagged by Customs sleuths at the cargo wing who immediately dismantled the top portion to unearth a light brownish powder which a lab test confirmed as first quality heroin weighing one kg and estimated to be worth a whopping Rs 7 crore in its present market value.
The ecstasy pills and heroin worth a total of Rs. 9.82 crore were seized and Bengaluru Customs began a probe and nabbed two men on Friday night.
Their identities are yet to be revealed due to an ongoing probe.The drug seizure is one of the biggest in recent times at Bengaluru Airport .
Recently the officials busted another racket and seized heroine worth Rs 5.30 crore being smuggled inside a laptop sleeve via air courier from Dubai on January 25, 2022.
A Senior customs officials told media persons, The two persons were arrested under NDPS Act and produced before the Hon’ble NDPS Court, who remanded them to judicial custody.
Further followup action with the assistance of Commissioner of Customs, Trichy Preventive and team led to the arrest of a Nigerian national presently residing in Erode,Tamilnadu, who was facilitating the import of the said narcotic substances.
The said Nigerian national was also arrested on 19.02.2022 and produced before the Hon’ble NDPS Court,who remanded him to judicial custody he added.
