Foreigner lands in city with cocaine worth 2.4 crore
In a joint operation, sleuths from the Narcotics Control Bureau and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seized three kg of cocaine from a Portuguese national who arrived at the city airport from Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 26.
By : migrator
Update: 2018-04-27 20:11 GMT
Chennai
The foreigner was supposed to meet a person staying at a hotel in Chennai, to whom he was supposed to hand over the high-value drug, said sources, who suspect the latter of running a drug distribution network in Chennai.
When the carrier landed in the airport on Thursday morning via Dubai, sleuths from the two agencies intercepted him based on a tip-off. Initially during the questioning, he denied carrying any drug as the officers suspected. On persistent questioning, however, the man admitted that his check-in baggage contained three kg cocaine, estimated to be valued around Rs 2.4 crore – the rate would increase many fold when it reaches the street.
Inside the bag, the officers found an electrical appliance, which looked like a computer UPS, packed in a cardboard box.
When the devise was opened, they found the transformer portion looking unusual and also noted that it had a non-metallic core. After removing several layers of copper wire and adhesive tapes, the officers recovered six packets of the drug, totally weighing three kg.
The man was arrested by Revenue Intelligence officers under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and remanded him in judicial custody. Sources said the demand for the high-value narcotic drug is increasing among the rich in Chennai, noting that the seizure of three kg cocaine consignment was an indication of that.
Ketamine smuggling kingpin nabbed
Mohammed Sadiq Batcha, the main suspect wanted in connection with the seizure of 14.6 kg ketamine from two persons in Koyambedu a month ago, was arrested by NCB at Chennai airport on Thursday. The arrested duo had confessed carrying the contraband as per instruction from Batcha, the kingpin. On Thursday, Batcha was on his way to Malaysia when he was nabbed.
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