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In one of the biggest seizures, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday seized 133.88 metric tonnes (1.33 lakh kg) of red sanders worth Rs55 crore while it was being smuggled to Dubai from Nhava Sheva port.

In one of the biggest seizures, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday seized 133.88 metric tonnes (1.33 lakh kg) of red sanders worth Rs55 crore while it was being smuggled to Dubai from Nhava Sheva port.

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The alleged smugglers were trying to pass off the goods as consignments of onion and marble tiles.

Eight containers (four of 40 feet each while remaining 20 were feet each) were stopped while they were ready to be loaded after receiving a tip-off, said DRI officials.

DRI suspects that the consignment was meant to be shipped from Dubai to a SouthEast or East Asian country where there is a high demand for red sanders.

On opening the containers, the DRI found 11 ton (11,000 kg) onions in four of them behind which the rare wood was concealed. However, in the rest of the containers, only red sanders was found.

Officials said that the four consignments declared as marble tiles were factory-stuffed, which means they were stuffed with marble tiles in the presence of Central Excise officials at a godown, who after checking the same, had put the official seal.

The onion consignments was not declared as factory stuffed.