RAMANATHAPURAM: In a major bust, officials from the Indian Coast Guard and the customs department arrested four men hailing from Mandabam area, who were allegedly in possession of 330 kg sea cucumber and 594 kg of raw turmeric, and eight Sri Lankan nationals, who had allegedly arrived in the Gulf of Mannar to purchase the contraband, on Monday.
Based on a tip-off, a team from Mandapam station of the Indian Coast Guard along with a team from the Customs Division at Ramanathapuram carried out a joint search in the sea. While patrolling around 27 km southwest of Dhanuskodi in the Gulf of Mannar, the officials spotted eight SL nationals in four fibreglass boats. Later, the officials also nabbed four men hailing from Mandapam, who had arrived at the spot in a boat with the contraband. Coast guard sources said the seized sea cucumber and raw turmeric stock was worth around `9.81 lakh.
Sea cucumbers are prohibited species as per Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, while the illegal transaction of turmeric and other commodities across the IMBL is an offence under the Customs Act, 1962. While the arrested Indians were handed over to the customs department, the SL nationals were handed over to the Mandapam Marine police along with their boats. Marine police sources said all eight were booked under the Foreigners Act 1946 and the Passport Act 1967. They were remanded on Tuesday night.