Chennai: In a major breakthrough, sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday arrested four persons who are suspected to be part of an international drug syndicate at the Chennai airport. They were carrying around 2.28 kgs of drugs in their ‘checked-in’ baggage valued at Rs 5 crore in the international market.
The arrested quartet was suspected to be part of a Kuwait based international drug syndicate operating from the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
They were found to be in possession of 1.16 kgs of heroin and 1.02 kgs of methamphetamine from their checked-in baggage, according to an official communiqué from NCB Zonal Director, Prem Anand Sinha’s office.
According to airport sources, the NCB sleuths had arrived at the airport based on specific inputs about drugs being smuggled in the Chennai- Sharjah Air Arabian flight. Based on the tip-off, the NCB officials apprehended a 34-year-old passenger, Rajendran Sheshathri of Kumbakonam.
Since nothing was found in his hand luggage, the NCB officials called for his trolley bag to be checked and later found the powdery substance packed in polythene covers and kept inside a cardboard.
Initially, the man had tried to play it calm by claiming the substance was milk powder meant for his friends in the Middle East. However, the officials had seized the package and probed further confirming the smuggling of drugs.
The seized items were sent to the lab and confirmed to be heroin and methamphetamine, valued at Rs 5 crore in the international market.
Further grilling led to three of his associates - Mohamed Ibrahim of Tiruvarur, Mohamed Rabeek of Kumbakonam and Vijayakumar of Thiruvarur – who were waiting outside the airport being arrested.
All four were arrested under provisions of the Narcotics drug and psychotropic substances act and further investigations are on.
