Maharashtra: Nearly 300 kg heroin worth Rs 879 crore seized, 1 held

MUMBAI: In one of the major narcotics seizures in the last 10 years, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 293 kg heroin valued at Rs 879 crore smuggled in from Afghanistan through Iran on Thursday and arrested the importer, identified as Prabhjot Singh, sources said.
Heroin is the most commonly trafficked substance in India, followed by cannabis and cocaine. The contraband was declared as gypsum stone and talcum powder and was brought through JNPT when officials intercepted it. The import export code (IEC) was in the name of Singh and the consignment was meant for Punjab. Singh has been importing gypsum stone and talcum powder through JNPT for the past one year, sources said.
“The consignment had arrived from Afghanistan via Iran which raised suspicion that it may contain some banned goods. During physical examination, we discovered it was narcotics mis-declared as gypsum,” said an official. “A test using an NDPS kit confirmed it was heroin,” said an official. The consignment was seized under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Last year, the DRI had seized 191 kg heroin which was falsely declared as mulethi, an Ayurvedic herb. The special task force of the Punjab police had also seized 194kg heroin and other contraband from a rented house in Amritsar district and arrested six persons, including an Afghan national and a woman.