CHENNAI: The Chennai zone of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Monday said they busted two gangs trafficking methamphetamine to Sri Lanka from Chennai and Tamil Nadu and arrested nine persons, including three Sri Lankans.
A total of 4.2 kg of methamphetamine and a sum of Rs 1.5 crore, US dollars and Sri Lankan rupees ostensibly brought through ‘hawala’ network were seized by NCB zonal director P Aravindhan said.
In the first case, NCB initially arrested two Sri Lankans, including a juvenile, who were attempting to traffic methamphetamine from Chennai to Sri Lanka via sea route on June 11. Investigations led them to a Sri Lankan lady inside the Mandapam camp and two Indians in Chennai — Krishnakumari and M Rizaludeen — who were arrested with a sum of Rs 1.5 crore.
An NCB official said three Sri Lankans, who were from the Mandapam camp, were involved in trafficking the drug to Lanka and the cash seized had come through ‘hawala’ channel. Krishnakumari’s husband Kasilingam, an accused lodged in Puzhal jail, was coordinating the international trafficking operation by communicating with his wife.
Kasilingam is an accused in a 2021 meth case booked by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. He was also formally arrested by NCB. While Kasilingam and Krishnakumari are in their 60s, all others except, the juvenile, are in their 20s, the official said.
In the second case, NCB officials intercepted a car near Peters Road in Royapettah recently. Three persons, including a Manipur native living in Chennai, were detained and 2.7 kg of methamphetamine was seized from them.
The drug was being brought from Moreh in Manipur and meant to be trafficked to Sri Lanka, an NCB official said. From Sri Lanka, methamphetamine is further trafficked to south-east Asian countries where it is a popular party drug, officials said.