KOCHI: In one of the largest hauls, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 2,200kg red sander logs from a container freight station (CFS) at Willingdon Island on Tuesday.Following a tip-off, DRI searched the containers that were being screened and sealed at a CFS named Q10. red sanders was to be shipped from Kochi Port on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, sources said.
“The logs were concealed cleverly in a container in which oil is shipped. We had to cut the container open to recover the red sanders. The container was booked for transportation to Dubai. We suspect that from Dubai, smugglers were planning to ship the logs to South Asian nations, China, Singapore or Japan where red sanders are in high demand,” sources said. DRI suspects that Red Sanders came to Kochi from Andhra Pradesh.
“Red sanders are grown in the forests of Eastern Ghat. We are tracing the information about the agency that booked the container. Similarly, we have collected information about the truck that transported the container. Persons behind the smuggling will be soon identified. Currently, no one is arrested, but DRI has identified a list of suspects,” sources said.
Intelligence agencies last busted the smuggling of Red Sanders via Kochi Port three years ago. The Red Sanders are in high demand in China, Japan and Singapore for medicinal purposes and manufacturing of musical instruments.