MUMBAI: A massive consignment of heroin, valued at more than Rs 19,899 crore, was confiscated at Mundra port in Gujarat by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
While the ED filed a money laundering probe, the DRI arrested a couple who runs an import firm in connection with the case. It is being said that the consignment was to reach Vijaywada. But, senior DRI authorities claimed that the heroin was intended for Delhi.
Roughly three tonnes of heroin - one of the largest consignments in the recent years - were shipped to India through an Iranian port, official said, adding that the consignment is believed to have originated from Afghanistan.
According to the police, it was found that Govindaraju Durga Purna Vaishali, a resident of Chennai, had registered the firm in August 2020. Machavaram Sudhakar is Vaishali's husband. The Department of Foreign Trade had granted them export and import licences, according to officials.
It was found that Sudhakar and Vaishali had lived in Chennai for a long time. The heroin confiscated at Mundra Port was headed for Delhi, not Vijaywada as some media outlets had reported, the senior DRI authorities said.