Officials with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence busted an international drug racket at Kempegowda International Airport and seized amphetamine worth ₹40 lakh that was concealed inside a wall clock.
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The package was slated to be shipped to Saudi Arabia and was booked by a person from Tamil Nadu with a fake name and address of the sender, said officials.
After receiving a tip-off, the Bengaluru init of the DRI inspected the cargo section of KIA and conducted a thorough check on Thursday evening. After several hours of combing operations, the team spotted a large clock on the wall.
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Acting on a hunch, they opened the side of the clock and discovered a package placed inside it, with brown duct tape.
The package contained a white crystalline-like substance which a laboratory test later identified as amphetamine, a stimulant often used as a recreational drug.
The sender had hidden half a kilo (500g) of the contraband which is estimated to be worth ₹40 lakh in the international market, sources from the DRI said.
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DRI officials also alerted their counterparts at Saudi Arabia to ascertain who the receiver was. Though the sender used a fake name and address, officials are analysing CCTV footage to identify the accused and track him down.
In another incident, DRI officials busted an international cigarette smuggling racket and seized a container full of foreign cigarettes worth ₹6 crore. It had been smuggled from the UAE and reached Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu on Saturday from where it was to be shipped to Bengaluru, said officials.
As per official records, the container was listed as a consignment of dates but contained a total of 40 lakh cigarette cartons, all international brands.
According to sources, the smugglers had plans to distribute the cartons to dealers in Bengaluru who would in turn sell them to clients without the prescribed statutory warnings as mandated by the Indian Government.