Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recalled two containers that had set sail to Malaysia, following intelligence information that they were laden with nearly 39 tonnes of red sanders logs.
Additional Director General, DRI, Chennai, C. Rajan, said when they received information about the logs in the containers, they were brought back to Chennai. The contents had been declared as furniture weighing 21.8 tonnes. Examination of the containers revealed the red sanders logs.
As the logs were not supported by proper documents and meant to be smuggled out of the country by misdeclaration, they were seized under the Customs Act of 1962 and Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
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The logs were valued at Rs.2.34 crore in the domestic market and around Rs.4.68 crore in the international market, Mr. Rajan said. Preliminary investigation revealed that a Chennai-based gang was involvedand the destination was China.
Red sanders is a unique species found in the forest areas in Kadapa, Nellore and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh and Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu. Furniture and musical instruments made of red sanders are in great demand in South-East Asian countries. The wood is in great demand for its medicinal properties too.