B'luru Airport drug bust: ₹9.23 cr worth Ephedrine hidden in utensils seized

reportsing to the reports, seized goods were declared as various kitchen utensils, but an examination of the shipment revealed the presence of a white crystalline substance in the cavity of some of the utensils. This Ephedrine seizure is the single biggest seizure in 2022 at the Bengaluru Airport cargo

In the year's second-largest drug seizure at Bengaluru Airport's cargo section, customs sleuths have seized drugs worth a whopping ₹9.23 crore, destined for export to Melbourne, Australia. A month back ecstasy pills worth a ₹9.82 crore were seized.

An investigation that began soon after the seizure discovered that unidentified individuals from Chennai had come to Bengaluru Airport cargo a few weeks ago to book the utensils consignment.

46.799 kg of Ephedrine was being transported in custom-made utensils with false bottoms and was declared as kitchen items. It is being assumed that a Chennai-based drug ring may be behind the drug transfer.

According to reports, the Bengaluru Customs' Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), the agency's Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) was tipped off about large amounts of contraband being smuggled through the Bengaluru Airport's Air Cargo wing. Following that, on late Sunday, March 13, 2022, a Customs team combed the export consignments at the cargo section and discovered a large section of stainless steel including jars, jugs, and drums meant to be shipped to Melbourne after being declared as kitchen utensils by an exporter from Chennai.

"We were alerted by intelligence officials about possible contraband smuggling via air courier," an official said. "After scanning all of the utensils nothing concrete was found in the computer images. We then examined all of the items and discovered that some of the utensils had a bottom that was unappealing to the pieces." said an investigating officer.

The Bengaluru Customs team then cut open all of the utensils to discover that 52 stainless steel drums had custom-made false bottoms, all of which contained what a lab test later determined to be high-quality Ephedrine, a stimulant used in the production of methamphetamine, a recreational drug. Investigators discovered a total of 46.79 kg of the substance intended to be smuggled to Australia, which has an international market value of ₹9.23 crore.

An investigation launched shortly after the seizure discovered that unidentified individuals from Chennai had arrived at Bengaluru Airport cargo a few weeks ago to book the utensil shipment. “Our team rushed to Chennai because we had specific information on a notorious drug-smuggling syndicate, but as we were closing in on them, the racketeers fled the city. We have some crucial evidence that will lead us to them,” the officer continued.

Following the import of a laptop sleeve containing heroin worth ₹5.30 crore via air courier wing from Dubai on January 22, the Ephedrine seizure is the single largest seizure at Bengaluru Airport cargo in 2022. On February 15, a shipment of bedsheets from Belgium containing ₹2.82 crore in Ecstasy pills and another of machine parts from Zambia containing ₹7 crore in Heroine arrived at the air cargo section. In all three cases, Customs apprehended the importers of the drug consignments.