Drug seizure: According to Aqua company, only traces of drugs were discovered in the dry yeast shipment
Kunam Veerabhadra Rao, a native of a shrimp farming family, launched Vizag-based Sandhya Aqua Exports in 2005. The company gained notoriety when the CBI seized an alarming amount of drugs.
It has been involved in farming, processing shrimp, and producing feed. It is present on many continents for commerce, such as the US and Europe.
With three units including eight IQF lines, four cooking lines, and six plate freezers, the firm is entirely family-owned and processes 50,000 MT annually. 70% of the raw materials used in its production come from Andhra Pradesh and are sourced from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu. The company’s vice-president and CXO is Hari Krishna Kunam, and its director is Kunam Kotaiah Chowdary.
In the West Godavari district’s Kathipudi, the firm has established a shrimp feed mill, according to a press release. In order to locate “dry yeast,” a crucial component used in the production of shrimp feed, they have spoken with a number of industry experts and nutritionists in search of a reliable supplier. It has been suggested that they get “dry yeast” from ICC, Brazil, which sells it under the brand name “Star Yeast 370.”
It said that they ordered 25,000 kg of “dry yeast” as a test order for the first time and that they had already paid in full for the shipment before it has left port. With a certificate dated January 17, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) of the Federative Republic of Brazil duly certified the contents of the product consignment from ICC, Brazil. On March 16, the consignment was shipped and arrived from Santos Port, Brazil, via transshipment at Hamburg Port, Germany, to Visakhapatnam Port.
The CBI and the Customs Department at Vizag Port have intercepted the container, which is the identical container that is transporting the cargo that belongs to our firm, in accordance with the information obtained from Interpol, Germany.
The aforementioned container was opened on Tuesday by the CBI, other authorities, witnesses, and representatives from our firm. Using an NCB narcotic drugs detection equipment, the authorities examined the shipment of 20 pallets at random and claimed to have discovered evidence of drugs. As a result, the CBI opened an inquiry into the purported narcotics, and they are now working along with the investigation in full.
CBI detains a shipping container at the port of Visakhapatnam.
Drugs are found on a ship at Visakhapatnam Port by the CBI.
Nevertheless, it is being implied in a number of media outlets that the full 25,000 kg is a drug, which is clearly not the case. According to the statement, the bigger shipment of 25,000 kg of “dry yeast” contains merely traces of certain drugs.
According to the press release, Sandhya Aqua is a legitimate corporate entity that has a solid track record in the international fish industry and has never engaged in any illegal activity or trade. Sandhya Aqua is pleading with everyone to exercise caution and assist her during these trying times.
On Friday, the second day of the probe, the CBI carried on with its work. According to reports, the group went to the Sandhya Aqua factory in Kakinada.
