In a major haul of synthetic contraband in the city, sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau seized 19 kg of ephedrine estimated to be worth over ₹1 crore from the air cargo terminal of the Cochin International Airport where it was kept concealed in big tea kettles for shipment to Malaysia.
The anti-drug agency acted on a tip-off from its Chennai office and made the seizure on Thursday night.
“It is the second time we have made such a seizure from the airport. The consignment was left abandoned, and we are examining the CCTV footage to track the miscreants who kept it there,” Venugopal G. Kurup, NCB Superintendent, said.
There were 18 kg of ephedrine and 600 gm of N-Acetylanthranilic Acid for delivery in Selangor, Malaysia. The drugs were concealed in cavities of 10 tea kettles.
Ephedrine is an important precursor to manufacturing Methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA, a popular party drug.
“We’ve noticed a surge in attempts to smuggle ephedrine through air cargo in southern India. Intense screening in major airports such as Chennai and Bengaluru has forced smugglers to choose smaller airports such as Kochi to ship their contraband,” said Mr. Kurup.
