DRI Seizure of 18.1 kg Ambergris from Sperm Whales used in Perfumery Compounds worth Rs 31.67 crore at Tuticorin Coast

· High Price of Rs. 3.30 per kg

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busts Ambergris smuggling gang racket, a threat to the nation’s flora and fauna and seized 18.1 kg of Ambergris at Tuticorin Coast which is valued at ₹31.67 crore (approx.) in illicit market.

Based on specific information that a gang would be attempting to smuggle ambergris out of India through the sea route near the coast of Harbour Beach, Tuticorin to Sri Lanka during the night hours of 18.05.2023, DRI Officers intercepted a vehicle along with five persons and recovered 18.1 kg of ambergris from the front seat of the vehicle. The occupants confessed the smuggling attempt.

Ambergris is a product of sperm whales, which is a protected species listed under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and is thus prohibited for possession/export/transport. Ambergris was thus seized along with the vehicle used for transporting the prohibited item.

DRI in its endeavour to protect and safeguard the flora and fauna from such smuggling attempts has intensified its vigil and surveillance in the coastal areas. In the last two years, DRI has seized around 40.52 kg of Ambergris valued at Rs. 54 crore in the international market, attempted to be smuggled out of India from the Tuticorin Coast.

Four persons from Kerala and Tamil Nadu actively involved in this smuggling attempt of Ambergris were arrested and remanded under judicial custody.

Further investigation is under progress.

Ambergris (/ˈæmbərɡriːs/ or /ˈæmbərɡrɪs/, Latin: ambra grisea, Old French: ambre gris), ambergrease, or grey amber is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a marine, fecal odor. It acquires a sweet, earthy scent as it ages, commonly likened to the fragrance of isopropyl alcohol without the vaporous chemical astringency.^]

Ambergris has been highly valued by perfume makers as a fixative that allows the scent to endure much longer, although it has been mostly replaced by synthetic ambroxide. Dogs are attracted to the smell of ambergris and are sometimes used by ambergris searchers.