Following an intensive search operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence confiscated 205.6 kilogramme heroin worth Rs 1,439 crore from a container near Kandla port in Gujarat and detained an importer from Punjab in this connection, the DRI said on Monday.
The contraband was discovered in one of the 17 containers that came at the Kandla port from Iran between September and October last year, according to a senior police official.
“Based on intelligence developed together with officers of the Gujarat ATS, officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence are now evaluating a consignment imported by an Uttarakhand-based enterprise at Kandla port,” the DRI said in a statement on Monday.
The shipment arrived in Kandla from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. According to the announcement, the shipment, which was imported in 17 containers with 10,318 bags, had a gross weight of 394 metric tonnes and was declared as “gypsum powder.”
“So far, 205.6 kg of heroin has been recovered, worth $1,439 crore on the black market. The consignment is still being thoroughly examined at the port “According to the DRI.
The DRI searched various locations across India in an attempt to track down the importer, who was changing locations and hiding to avoid detection.
Under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he was eventually apprehended in a small village in Punjab. The importer attempted to run but was apprehended by DRI agents, according to the announcement.
On Sunday, the DRI received his transit remand from a special court in Amritsar. On Monday, he will appear before a jurisdictional court in the Kutch town of Bhuj, according to the report.
Gujarat Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia commented on the issue, saying the 17 containers arrived at the Kandla port from Iran between September and October last year and have been under scrutiny since then.
The news comes months after two containers containing 2,988 kg of heroin worth Rs 21,000 crore were seized at the Mundra port in Gujarat in September of last year.
Read More: