Containers with red sanders intercepted at Vallarpadam ICTT

KOCHI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday evening has intercepted two containers with red sanders supposed to be smuggled out from the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Vallarpadam.

DRI is in the process of tracking down people behind the attempted smuggling incident. Officers said more than 10 tonnes of red sander logs are suspected to be concealed inside the 40-feet containers. DRI has received primary information that a Mumbai-based company had booked the containers.

“Following a tip-off, we traced out two containers loaded onto a vessel slated to depart from ICTT to Dubai at 1 am on Wednesday. No one has been arrested till now,” a DRI officer said.

The containers, the officer said, carried coir products and red sander logs were concealed among the coir. “The red sanders is suspected to have come from the forests of Andhra Pradesh. It was brought via road to Kochi a couple of days ago. The Customs paperwork and clearance for the container were done by a container freight station in Kochi. We are interrogating the people at the container freight station,” he said.

The containers were to be smuggled to Hong Kong via Dubai, the usual route through which smuggling actively takes place. It is after a while the smuggling of red sanders via Kochi port is being reported.

Red sanders is in high demand in China and Japan as it is considered sacred by people there. To prevent its smuggling, the Andhra Pradesh government had come up with special units.

Red sanders is indigenous to Eastern Ghats in Andhra and grow mainly in Seshachalam hill ranges spread across Chittoor and Kadapa in the Rayalaseema region.