In one of the major haul of drugs in the country, the customs and excise sleuths seized 475 kgs of ephedrine on Saturday at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. The seized drugs worth Rs24 crore were meant to be transported to Malaysia.
According to Rajiv B Tiwari, chief commissioner of central excise and customs, the bags of ephedrine seized were meant to be transported to Malaysia and hidden in ammonium chloride bags.
He said “Our officers have seized ephedrine, a drug which was hidden in ammonium chloride bags in the cargo complex. Acting on a tip-off, we have seized ephedrine hidden in the bags.”
According to officials, Bengaluru has been used as a transit point to shift ephedrine to other countries.
“The suspects wanted to smuggle the substance through a Malaysia-bound Sri lankan flight. Hours before the flight’s departure, we have received alert about the possibility of some bags containing Ephedrine,” an official said.
The customs officials are in touch with their Malaysian counterparts and have exchanged information. The Malaysian customs officials are conducting a separate investigation in their country.
Ephedrine is a controlled medication and stimulant used to make amphetamines and methamphetamine.
According to officials, on examining the bags, sleuths found that two of them contained ephedrine. The firm that had booked the consignment is based in Chennai. later, sleuths tracked down the rest of the goods that the company plans to export to a godown in Kothanur in Bengaluru.
According to officials in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the drug ephedrine is illegally manufactured in India and smuggled abroad. It is in high demand for treatment of insomnia and blood pressure, but can also be converted to illegal drugs like methamphetamine and amphetamine.
According to Additional Commissioner of Customs, D Anil, the two bags were being smuggled along with a consignment of 81 bags, which were declared as ammonium chloride. Officials estimated the cost of the seized drugs to be Rs2.5 crore.
The drugs were packed in 17 gunny bags and the total seizure is valued at Rs24 crore.
According to Customs officials, this is the biggest drug bust in south India. Customs sleuths are now looking out for the tenant of the godown as the owner has already shared the rental agreement with the officials.
Ephedrine is not a banned substance, but its use is governed by the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. “Those who manufacture, store or use it should be registered with the NCB. They should submit a report of every transaction,” said a NCB officer.
The department had, in May, seized ephedrine, which was being smuggled in file covers. The drug was concealed inside the rexin of thick file covers. In December, 25kg ephedrine worth more than Rs1 crore was seized.