Drugs discovered in the Pudukkottai prawn farm valued at Rs 110 crore
Following a tip, a Tiruchy Customs team searched a prawn farm at Mimisal in Pudukkottai on Sunday and discovered 876 kg of ganja valued at ~1.05 crore and around 100 kg of hashish valued at ~110 crore hidden in a thatched hut on the property.
A top customs officer informed TNIE that this was the biggest narcotics haul reported in Tamil Nadu this year, even though no arrests have been made yet.
Detectives from the Central Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Tiruchy Customs Preventive Commissionerate conducted a search of the shuttered building on the farm in response to information about the smuggling of drugs from Pudukkottai to Sri Lanka. The search resulted in the recovery of drugs that were contained in 48 bags.
Regarding the operation, a CIU source said, “No one was in the area, and the thatched shed had no power supply.” Although there were concerns about narcotics being hidden there, smugglers often use similar tactics to evade detection. Despite reservations, there was no intention to depart the area before conducting a comprehensive search.
A source regarding the seizure said, “Even though we were able to identify the contraband as hashish and ganja, it was insufficient.” So we brought the illegal goods to a local Customs office so they could be tested scientifically and we could be sure it was hashish and ganja. Next, we documented the seizure in accordance with the Customs Act of 1962 and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985.
Sources said that the CIU and other intelligence services are carefully monitoring the matter, despite the fact that no arrests have been reported in relation to the seizure as of yet.
“Drugs are often transported from Ramanathapuram by water to Sri Lanka. Numerous similar smuggling instances have been uncovered by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Customs, and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. According to a former customs officer, the latest seizure from Pudukkottai is probably going to offer Customs and other intelligence agencies hints about where the narcotics are kept and how they get to Rameswaram and other coastal parts of the state.
