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The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 137 kg of crystal methamphetamine, valued at over Rs 100 crore in the illicit drug market, in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district, busting a suspected coastal trafficking network allegedly attempting to smuggle the narcotic to Sri Lanka through a maritime route.
Four persons have been arrested in connection with the seizure and remanded to judicial custody, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement on Sunday. The intelligence-led operation was conducted on October 16 and 17 following specific inputs that a large consignment of narcotic substances had been transported to a coastal village in Nagapattinam for storage and onwards smuggling to Sri Lanka through a mid-sea transfer. During the search, DRI officers recovered six duffel bags containing 27 silver-foil packets, each weighing approximately 5 kg. The packets contained a white crystalline substance suspected to be high-purity methamphetamine. The contraband, weighing 137 kg in gross, was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. In a simultaneous search at the premises of the suspected organiser, officers also seized Rs 10 lakh in cash, believed to represent proceeds from drug sales. Two four-wheelers and a two-wheeler allegedly used to transport the narcotics were also seized during the operation. According to the Ministry, the investigation uncovered a network involving individuals allegedly responsible for organising the coastal export, transportation, storage and logistics of the consignment. The suspected trafficking operation was aimed at moving the narcotics out of India through a maritime route, with Sri Lanka identified as the intended destination. The seizure is among the major narcotics recoveries reported in Tamil Nadu's coastal region in recent years, highlighting enforcement efforts to prevent the country's coastline from being used as a corridor for illicit drug trafficking. The DRI said the operation removed a significant quantity of suspected contraband from circulation and disrupted the network involved in its movement. The agency continues to focus on intelligence-led enforcement against organised drug trafficking, including networks that use coastal locations and maritime transfers to facilitate the movement of narcotic substances. (ANI)
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