How did red sanders become the gold bullion of timber smuggling in Maharashtra?

Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) or red sandalwood is an endangered species found only in south India, especially in Andhra Pradesh

Mumbai: While the Directorate of Revenue of Intelligence (DRI) is probing to unearth an inter-state syndicate specialising in the illegal cutting and smuggling of red sanders also known as red sandalwood, after recently seizing the protected tree species’ logs worth ₹7.9 crore in Maharashtra, agency sources said that its rich hue and therapeutic properties continue to fuel its high demand across Asia. Last week, the agency seized eight metric tonnes of the wood, foiling the alleged attempt of the syndicate’s attempts to smuggle them out for lucrative returns via concealment.

Rich hue and therapeutic properties of red sanders fuel smuggling attempts

The red sander wood is valued for its use in cosmetics, traditional medicinal products and high-end furniture/ wood craft, the sources said. The export of red sanders from India is prohibited as per the Foreign Trade Policy. The wood’s high demand and price in the international market is apparently the main cause for its illegal felling and smuggling, sources said. “The demand for red sanders exists in countries like China, Japan, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China, Singapore and Myanmar, where they are used for furniture, dyes, making musical instruments as well as medicinal purposes,” a source said.

Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) or red sandalwood is an endangered species found only in south India, especially in Andhra Pradesh and at the borders of Andhra Pradesh adjacent to the states of Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Red sanders are a protected species under the CITES convention and the export of the same is prohibited under the Customs Act, of 1962. CITES is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade. According to sources, it takes 50-60 years for a tree of pole size to reach the 70 cm girth, which is a harvestable girth. “The wood of most Red Sanders trees have a normal grain, however, there is also a rare variant with a ‘wavy’ grain which fetches higher prices in international markets,” a source said.

A part of the recent seizure of the wood by the DRI was made at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Nhava Sheva, Navi Mumbai when a container carrying the container was intercepted. The syndicate was attempting to smuggle out red sanders via sea route by mis-declaring it as granite marble slabs, agency sources said. On examination, it was found that six tonnes of red sanders were concealed behind polished granite slabs and cement bricks.

Based on further clues gathered in the case, the agency conducted further searches in Ahmednagar, Nashik and Hyderabad, Telangana. A search was conducted at a godown in Nashik, wherein two metric tonnes of red sanders were seized, which were also supposed to be exported in the coming days. The six metric tonnes of red sanders seized at the Nhava Sheva port were stored and removed for export from the same godown in Nashik. The DRI also intercepted the Import Export Code (IEC) holder and the transporters in the follow-up actions. An IEC is a key business identification number which is mandatory for export from India or import to India.

The agency, in all, nabbed five syndicate members including the exporter, the commission broker, the godown manager and the transporter, who are currently in judicial custody. The agency’s operation against the syndicate began with the receipt of specific information about its plan to smuggle red sanders overseas after which it kept discreet surveillance on its activities. The probe is trying to find out about the purported end-recipients of the consignment that was meant for shipment overseas when it was intercepted.

In a separate case in May 2022, the DRI had recovered 14.63 metric tonnes of red sanders, estimated at ₹11.70 crore in the illicit international markets, from a consignment in Sabarmati, Gujarat, which was to be allegedly exported. The logs were found concealed in an export consignment declared to contain ‘assorted toiletries’. In November 2021, in another case, the DRI recovered 9.98 metric tonnes of red sander wood that was allegedly being smuggled out of India in the guise of export of ‘Iron and Brass Builder Hardware items’.