2 held with 150 kg sandalwood in Kerala

PALAKKAD: During a narcotic smuggling check near Walayar toll plaza on Saturday, excise department officials seized 150kg of sandalwood smuggled from Salem hidden in a luxury car and arrested two youths from Pattambi.
Excise officials received information from an anonymous source that a vehicle was coming with ganja. While waiting for the vehicle, a car coming to the toll plaza did not stop and sped away when they were asked to stop it.
Excise officials chased the car, but it had to stop at a red light, and the two youths ran away. But excise officials and the residents caught the duo.
Excise officials said the youths told them they brought the sandalwood from Salem was to be taken to Thrithala. The 150kg sandalwood will fetch Rs 30 lakh in the illegal open market. The sandalwood was hidden in a secret platform of the luxury car.
The excise department has handed over the youth, car and sandalwood to the forest department for further action.