DRI seizes 10 tonnes of poppy seeds from container in Thoothukudi

MADURAI: A team of officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized ten tonnes of poppy seeds from a container in Thoothukudi. The seizure was done on Friday night based on secret information. The contraband was illegally imported to Thoothukudi from Malaysia. The import consignment was claimed as white cement, but the container had nearly hundred bagfuls of poppy seeds, sources said. Poppy seeds are an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy. It is banned in many countries because of its morphine content and also because of the risk that viable seeds will be sold and used to grow opium poppies, sources added.