Chennai. Preventing an attempt to send out a huge consignment of red sandalwood illegally, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested four smugglers. According to officials, this red sandalwood was worth around Rs 6.26 crore. A total of 15 metric tonnes of red sandalwood was seized from various warehouses in Chennai. The four arrested include the main conspirator, two of his associates who were involved in the packing and transportation of red sandalwood, and a middleman on behalf of the supplier. Red sandalwood is listed in Appendix II of CITES and Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Exporting it is restricted or controlled under foreign trade policy. DRI officials had received intelligence that red sandalwood was kept hidden in warehouses in and around Chennai and was being exported illegally through Delhi. Based on this information, DRI officials conducted search operations at three locations between 9 and 11 December.
During this period, 169 grade A logs of red sandalwood, weighing 5.55 tonnes, were seized. Of these, 76 logs were wrapped in white HDPE packing material and ready to be loaded into trucks. It was hidden in the truck in the name of household items. 9.55 tonnes of red sandalwood logs, roots and furniture were seized from the other two locations.
Both the illegal goods and the goods meant to cover them were seized under the Customs Act, 1962. Last week itself, DRI had also caught a secret Mephedrone manufacturing factory in Wardha, Maharashtra. The operation was named Operation Hinterland Brew. In this operation conducted on 7-8 December, 128 kg of Mephedrone was seized, whose value was estimated to be approximately Rs 192 crore. Apart from this, 245 kg of precursor chemicals, raw materials and processing setup were also seized.
DRI officials, based on specific intelligence, first conducted surveillance of the area and then launched a search operation in the bush-covered area, about 60 km from Wardha. Three operators of this factory were arrested. These included the main conspirator, who was also a financier and a chemist, and two of his associates. –
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