DRI seizes 52 kg cocaine worth Rs 500 crore imported from Iran

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The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized 52 kg of cocaine valued at over Rs 500 crore from an import consignment at the Mundra port in Gujarat. The finance ministry in a statement said the DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) had developed an intelligence input that certain consignments being imported from Iran were likely to contain narcotic drugs.

In order to interdict the narcotic drugs, "Op Namkeen" was launched by DRI and a consignment, declared to contain 1,000 bags of common salt having gross weight of 25 MT, which had been imported at Mundra port from Iran, was identified for detailed examination. During examination, some bags were found to be suspicious, as a substance in powder form having a distinct smell was found in these bags.

Samples tested from those suspected bags confirmed the presence of cocaine in these samples. "Thus far, 52 kg of cocaine has been recovered by DRI. Examination and seizure proceedings under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985 are in progress. Roles of various persons involved in the said import consignment are also being investigated by DRI," the ministry said.

The cocaine seizure is estimated to be worth over Rs 500 crore in the international illicit market. In the fiscal year 2021-22, during its operations across the country, DRI had seized 321 kg of cocaine, which is valued at over Rs 3,200 crore in the international illicit market.