Narcotics bureau busts two drug smuggling attempts in Kochi
KOCHI: With checking intensified at airports and seaports, traffickers are now using international courier services more frequently to smuggle drugs. Over the past month, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has made two major seizures in Kochi. Following this, the central agency has decided to monitor the movement of courier packages to thwart the smuggling of drugs and narcotic substances to and from Kochi. On September 12, the NCB Kochi unit seized 3.5kg of hashish oil from a courier consignment that was destined for Bahrain.
“We have arrested two persons as part of the probe into the seizure of hashish oil. One person was detained from Bengaluru while another was apprehended from Kasaragod on Monday, October 4, 2021. We have found that drug peddlers are now using the courier service route for easy transportation of contraband,” an official with NCB, Chennai, told TNIE.
On September 22, the NCB Kochi unit intercepted another courier consignment containing 11.6kg of pseudoephedrine following a tip-off. The consignment was destined for Australia. “The investigation into the seizure of pseudoephedrine is progressing. We are in an attempt to trace the person who sent the consignment,” the official said.As pseudoephedrine can be used for the production of narcotic substances, it is notified as a controlled substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
“In Tamil Nadu alone, two such instances were reported in which 8kg and 4kg of pseudoephedrine was seized, at Karikal and Chennai respectively, from courier parcels destined for Australia in the past two weeks. Last year, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence busted a similar attempt in which 25 kg of pseudoephedrine destined for Ernakulam was seized,” said the official.
Excise officials are also intercepting attempts to smuggle drugs to Kochi city using the parcel service.
“As scanning all parcels is impossible, peddlers are using the channel for illegal activities. After the Covid lockdown in 2020, many parcels containing drugs and other narcotic substances have been seized,” an excise official said.
In July this year, a Thrissur native was arrested from Kochi after he procured 18 grams of MDMA via courier service from New Delhi. In March, 700 LSD stamps were seized from a gang in the city. That too was trafficked through the courier route. Even during the lockdown, three bottles of whiskey were seized from a parcel that arrived via Speed Post in Kochi.“We regularly direct courier service operators to remain alert about the possible smuggling of drugs and other contraband goods. They have been asked to scan suspicious consignment properly and to pass on the information to us,” the official said.