Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officers thwarted an attempt to smuggle 40 tonnes of red sanders logs, worth ₹16 crore in four different consignments, to Malaysia.
The officers had been conducting searches since Thursday night at the Chennai Port. They found that the red sanders logs had been substituted for goods declared as garments and floor mats in the containers and cleared for export after they had left the Container Freight Stations and were on their way to the Chennai sea port.
The DRI had mounted surveillance on the suspected containers leaving CFS for loading on to the vessel on Thursday.
When the officers inspected a container at the wharf, they found that it was stuffed with five tonnes of red sanders logs.
The DRI officers intensified surveillance after receiving information that a few more containers carrying the logs would be arriving at the port.
On intercepting some containers at the port gate, they found two more containers were stuffed with red sanders logs.
The sleuths also detected a shipment of red sanders already loaded in the ship bound for Malaysia.
The Andhra Pradesh police had on Thursday apprehended an international red sanders smuggler, Ahmed Thambi Maideen, 50, residing at Egmore in Chennai and his two aides.