·
Operation:
Conducted during 16–17
August 2026 based on specific intelligence inputs.
·
Location:
Nhava Sheva Port.
·
Seizure:
o
Approximately
56 kg of methamphetamine
in powder form was recovered.
o
The
drug was concealed in one
of 351 bags in an export consignment.
o
It
had been mixed with
maize, disguising the contraband as an ordinary agricultural
commodity.
·
Modus
operandi: The traffickers
deliberately mixed the methamphetamine with maize to make the drug difficult to detect during routine
examination and facilitate its illegal export.
·
Investigation:
o
DRI
identified the exporter
and the transporter/freight
forwarder involved.
o
The
transporter/freight forwarder was found to be coordinating with an overseas buyer for
transportation and customs clearance.
o
Both
individuals were arrested
under the NDPS Act, 1985, based on their respective roles in
the attempted trafficking.
·
Legal
action: The seized methamphetamine
was confiscated under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act,
1985.
·
The
case highlights the use of agricultural
commodity consignments as cover for international narcotics trafficking.
·
The
concealment of 56 kg of
methamphetamine within maize represents a sophisticated attempt
to evade customs examination and detection.
·
The
operation demonstrates DRI's continued focus on transnational trafficking networks,
including the identification of domestic exporters, logistics intermediaries
and overseas buyers.
[ABS News Service/20.08.2026]
Continuing its sustained crackdown on transnational trafficking
of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
(DRI) has foiled a major attempt to illegally export a significant quantity of Methamphetamine
from India to Saudi Arabia.
In an intelligence-led operation conducted by DRI during 16–17.08.2026,
around 56 kg Methamphetamine in powdery form was recovered from an export consignment
at the Nava Sheva Port. The contraband drug had been ingeniously mixed with maize
in one of the 351 bags contained in this consignment. The recovered Methamphetamine
and was seized, under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
(NDPS) Act, 1985.
Swift investigation led to the identification of the exporter
and the transporter/freight forwarder involved in the operation. Investigation revealed
that the transporter/freight forwarder was coordinating with an overseas buyer for
transportation and customs clearance of the export consignment. Based on their respective
roles in the attempted trafficking, both persons were arrested under the provisions
of the NDPS Act, 1985.
The method of concealment — mixing a large quantity of Methamphetamine
inextricably with maize and disguising the consignment as an ordinary agricultural
commodity — represents a distinctive modus operandi intended to evade routine examination
and detection during export.
Methamphetamine is a highly potent synthetic psychostimulant
with a high potential for abuse and dependence. Illicit use can cause severe physical
and psychological effects, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, agitation,
paranoia, psychosis and other serious health complications; prolonged or repeated
use can result in drug dependence and significant impairment of health and functioning.