DRI seizes 18 kg of psychotropic substance, arrests four accused
New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) In two separate operations, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested four accused and seized around 14.9 kg amphetamine at Bengaluru and 2.53 kg amphetamine along with 878 grams MDMA tablets at Pune, cumulatively weighing more than 18 kg, an official said.
The four accused have been arrested in the two cases under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the official said on Saturday in a statement.
On August 25, in an intelligence-led operation, officers of DRI intercepted an Indian woman passenger at KSR Bengaluru Railway Station, who was travelling by train from New Delhi to Bengaluru and was suspected to be carrying a large quantity of contraband, the statement said.
Detailed examination of her baggage resulted in the recovery of seven packets containing a crystalline substance, weighing around 14.9 kg which, on preliminary testing using a field drug detection kit, indicated the presence of amphetamine, it added.
The recovered psychotropic substance, along with the relevant packing and concealment material, was seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985, the DRI said.
“Based on information gathered during the proceedings, DRI officers conducted a swift follow-up operation at the designated delivery location. A person who arrived at the spot to receive the baggage from the carrier was intercepted,” the statement said.
“Further follow-up action led to the interception of another person who had come to receive the contraband from the first receiver. All three persons involved in the transportation and attempted receipt of the contraband were arrested under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985,” it added.
In another unrelated intelligence-led operation on August 25, DRI intercepted another Indian woman passenger at Pune Junction station, who was travelling by train from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station in Delhi via Pune.
“Detailed examination of her baggage resulted in the recovery of a white/yellow-coloured crystalline substance purported to be amphetamine, weighing 2.53 kg and tablets purported to be 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), weighing 878 grams (gross). The recovered contraband was seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985, and the passenger was arrested,” the DRI said.
The latest seizures form part of DRI’s intensified efforts to interdict synthetic drugs and dismantle trafficking networks operating across the country.
In a fortnight, DRI has now seized around 150 kg Amphetamine Type Stimulant (ATS) class of drugs in five operations, including 76 kg methamphetamine tablets in two operations along India’s North-Eastern frontier and 55.86 kg methamphetamine concealed by mixing it with maize/corn in an export consignment destined for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, the statement said.
–IANS
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