DRI seizes hashish oil worth Rs 12 crore in Tuticorin, arrests four including CISF man

CHENNAI: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths have prevented an attempt to smuggle 12 kg of hashish oil to the Maldives from Tuticorin and arrested four people, including a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) man.

The DRI received information about an attempt to smuggle hashish from Tuticorin to the Maldives in a sailing vessel. Based on this information, DRI sleuths increased their surveillance in the Old Harbour area. They stopped two people riding on a motorcycle in the Old Harbour area on Wednesday. A bag in their possession was subjected to searches. The sleuths found 12 containers with a dark viscous substance. A chemical analysis confirmed that it was hashish oil, a cannabis concentrate containing many of its resins and terpenes. Each kg of hashish oil is worth Rs 1 crore in the international drug market, said DRI sources.

The DRI sleuths arrested the duo, identified as Raja alias Jesuraja, 34, and Sudhakar, 33, of Fatima Nagar in Tuticorin. Based on their confession, Kingsly, 56, of George Road in Tuticorin, who was a crew member of a sailing vessel, was also arrested. They discovered that CISF personnel Marimuthu, 30, of Sorispuram in Tuticorin had helped them get through the security gate with hashish bundles. They nabbed Marimuthu. All the four were produced before a magistrate court on Thursday and remanded in judicial custody.

Gold seized

Customs officials at Chennai airport seized 1.75 kg of gold from two flyers who had hidden it in electric massagers. The passengers, who arrived from Dubai, were intercepted based on information.

While their hand luggage contained nothing suspicious, customs officials searched the check-in luggage and seized the electric massagers. They found gold hidden in the massagers. In total, gold weighing 1.75 kg and worth Rs 1.3 crore was seized.