Cocaine worth Rs 26.5 cr concealed in thermocol balls seized at Delhi airport
Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Jun, 2023 10:38 AM
New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) announced on Thursday that they seized 1,922 grams of cocaine worth Rs 26.5 crore, which was sent from Brazil through a courier consignment.
"Based on specific intelligence developed by the DRI, a courier consignment arriving at the New Courier Terminal in New Delhi was put on hold and examined by DRI officers. This led to the recovery of 1,922 grams of cocaine, with a street value of Rs 26.5 crore," said an official.
The DRI officer further stated that the consignment arrived in two boxes from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and was declared as containing "Table Center" (a decorative object).
Upon opening the boxes, two crystal glassware decorative bowls (one in each box) were found, along with hundreds of thermocol balls used for cushioning the glassware.
"Upon careful examination, it was observed that some of the thermocol balls were slightly heavier (1-2 grams only) than the rest. After cutting open all the thermocol balls, it was discovered that 972 out of 10,000 balls contained polythene balls filled with a white-coloured powder," said the official.
The white-coloured powder inside the thermocol balls tested positive for cocaine in the preliminary test.
A total of about 1,922 grams of cocaine, valued at Rs 26.5 crore, has been recovered and seized under the NDPS Act.
Further investigation into the matter is going on.
According to sources, Singh, a resident of Faridkot, was the person who had launched the attack on Monday. A rocket-propelled grenade or RPG was fired from the street that shattered the window panes of Punjab Police's intelligence headquarters in Mohali.
Lt Gen Aujla, an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, was commissioned in December 1987 and has had an illustrious military career spanning 35 years during which he has held varied prestigious command, staff and instructional appointments.
The area around the Intelligence Bureau office has been sealed and investigation is in progress. A bomb disposal and forensic squads have been positioned at the spot. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spoke to Director General of Police V.K. Bhawra and sought details about the incident.
Notably, the police detained several people, including party workers, who were not allowing the SDMC to carry out the demolition drive at Shaheen Bagh. After the agitation was quelled, the bulldozer moved forward to demolish the illegal encroachment, an iron structure in front of a building. It is at this juncture that Khan reached the spot and was seen speaking to the officials.
Punjab shares a 553-km barbed-wire fenced international border with Pakistan which is under the vigil of nearly 135 BSF battalions. The drug network operates along the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India route.
Police are looking at this angle. The incident took place near Kengeri at 1 a.m. and the injured were shifted to nearby hospitals. According to the police, the bus had first hit the 4-feet tall road divider and then rammed into the Namma Metro Pillar number 545.
