CHENNAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Wednesday busted a major pseudoephedrine trafficking racket and seized 112 kg of the precursor chemical, which is used to make the globally popular drug methamphetamine, from a container at Chennai Port. Based on specific intelligence, DRI officials intercepted a consignment declared as quartz powder at the port, which was destined for Australia. The container was declared to have 450 bags, each containing 50kg of quartz powder.
However, when DRI officials dug inside, they found 37 packets of a white powdery substance buried inside the quartz powder, worth at least Rs 100 crore. Two shipping agents Abu Tahir and Ahmed Basha, who had booked the consignment for export, were arrested by the agency under the provisions of the NDPS Act. Sources said they admitted to smuggling pseudoephedrine multiple times to Australia in the past.
In a search later, DRI seized two luxury cars used by the offenders and Rs 3.9 lakh unaccounted cash. Pseudoephedrine is classified as a controlled substance under the NDPS Act.
This is the substance that the Narcotics Control Bureau has charged expelled DMK leader Jaffer Sadiq of trafficking to Australia and New Zealand after seizing a 50kg consignment in Delhi in March. ED launched a money laundering probe based on NCB’s case and filed a chargesheet before a special court in Chennai two weeks back..