About 6.8 kg of methaqualone, a drug that acts as sedative and hypnotic and made famous in the film The Wolf of Wall Street, was seized by Chennai Customs, according to a press release. The seizure is worth ₹3.4 crore.
On Sunday, based on a tip-off that a huge quantity of narcotic drugs was being smuggled out of the country, the Courier Intelligence Unit of Air Customs sifted through a city warehouse. The team took out a parcel that was declared to contain ribbon rolls and apparels.
When officials opened the parcel, it had ribbon rolls but they seemed heavier than usual.
In a hollow cavity inside, there were plastic pouches with white crystalline powder. There were 57 such pouches. They were tested using a narcotics testing kit and seized under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. They were also sent for confirmation test.
A resident of the city had booked the parcel to Australia.
When officials checked the address, it was found to be fake. Efforts are on to find him.