Over 293 kg heroin worth INR 879 crore seized by the DRI at JNPT

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), on Thursday, July 1, 2021, seized over 293 kg of heroin which was allegedly smuggled from Afghanistan. As per reports, the drugs were worth INR 879 crore and this is considered to be one of the main drug seizures in recent times. 

Information regarding the same was shared on Sunday, July 4, 2021, whereby officials informed that one person was arrested at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) located in Raigad. Sharing more information the official from DRI mentioned that the drugs were expected to reach Punjab, under the name of Prabhjot Singh. They were smuggled from Afghanistan via Iran, and were declared to be gypsum and talcum powder.

Also Read: NCB declares Andheri's Lokhandwala area as the hotspot for drug peddlers

Officials arrested Singh after the shipment was seized and reports stated that the activity of importing gypsum stone and talcum powder through the JNPT was being conducted for over one year. 

This seizure is said to be one of the important ones in the last decade, where the officials said that over 293 kg heroin was seized and is a said to be valued at INR 879 crore. In an interaction with the Times of India, an official said, “The consignment had arrived from Afghanistan via Iran which raised suspicion that it may contain some banned goods. During physical examination, we discovered it was narcotics mis-declared as gypsum. A test using an NDPS kit confirmed it was heroin."

Also Read: Maharashtra FDA book 133 people for selling COVID-19 drugs illegally

Mumbai customs and the DRI, in August 2020, had also seized 191 kg of heroin which was said to be worth INR 1,000 crore. As per reports, this was declared to as Mulethi, an ayurvedic medicine, and the shipment has originated from Afghanistan. This was seized from a freight container at the JNPT. Besides this, six people were arrested when 194 kgs of heroin was seized from a private house in Amritsar. Punjab Police conducted the operation and also arrested an Afghan national and a woman involved in the crime.