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This is an archive article published on October 1, 2022
DRI recovers drugs worth Rs 1,476 crore, hidden in boxes of imported oranges
Sources in the DRI said the drugs were concealed in carton boxes carrying Valencia oranges. The suspects allegedly involved in smuggling them are being questioned, they said.
2 min read
The drugs include crystal meth and cocaine. (Express Photo)In one of the largest drug seizures in the country, the Mumbai unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has recovered 198 kg of crystal methamphetamine and 9 kg high-purity cocaine, worth Rs 1,476 crore in total. The drugs were hidden in a consignment of fruits, said agency officials.
Sources in the DRI said the drugs were concealed in carton boxes carrying Valencia oranges. The suspects allegedly involved in smuggling them are being questioned, they said.
DRI officials revealed that 10 days ago, they had received inputs that drugs in high quantity will be smuggled into the country. According to the inputs, contraband substance would be arriving from South Africa as part of a consignment of fruits.
The agency kept working on the input, following which on Friday evening, a team of DRI officers intercepted a truck in Vashi. The truck was carrying imported oranges.
“On thorough checking and examination of the truck, a large quantity of drugs was found. The drugs were concealed in cartons carrying Valencia oranges,” said a DRI official. The officials further added that the intercepted truck had left a cold storage unit in Vashi with the goods laden on it.
“This is a new kind of modus operandi involving concealment of drugs in boxes of oranges imported from South Africa,” said a source in the agency.
“We have nabbed the importer of the goods. They are being interrogated and are yet to be formally arrested,” said an officer.
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