Amritsar customs seizes over 100-kg heroin concealed in 'mulethi' consignment from Afghanistan

Tribune News Service

GS Paul

Amritsar, April 24

The Amritsar Customs department has seized 102 kg of heroin with estimated value of Rs 700 crore in international market, concealed in a consignment of ‘mulethi’ (liquorice) imported from Afghanistan, at Integrated Check Post (ICP) Attari.

An Afghani driver unloaded the consignment at ICP cargo in an Afghani truck on April 22 and returned. This shipment was supposed to be delivered to a Delhi-based importer. No arrest has been made so far.

This was the second big catch by the Amritsar Customs department after 532 kg heroin seized at Attari, earlier.

RahulNangare,CommissionerofCustoms(Preventive) Commissionerate, Amritsar told that as the material (mulethi) was subjected to X-ray scanning randomly as per the examination procedure, some irregular spots were detected by the duty officer, who raised the alarm.

In view of the suspicious images, the custom officers opened 340 bags only to find that some bags contained small cylindrical wooden logs, looing identical to mulethi, that were sealed on both the ends by saw dust mixed in some adhesive material. The heroin was stashed in the cavities made in the wooden logs.

“We segregated the wooden logs that were 485 kg in weight that were broken open overnight. We found that machine made cavities drilled in each log that was filled with powdery material suspected to be narcotics in plastic pouches. We took some samples to test them with a drug detection test (DDT) kit, both by the Customs and the BSF separately and they showed positive results for narcotics material”, he said.

The seized narcotics were taken into possession by the customs department. Without divulging the further details, Nangare told that the further investigation is on.

Sources said that the consignment of 340 sacks of mulethi was dispatched by Alem Nazir Ansari Ltd. Firm based at Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan.

The Afghani driver, said to be belonging to Shinwari tribe, an ethnic Pashtun tribe of western Pakistan and easternAfghanistan, had gone back after delivering the consignment at ICP’s cargo terminal number 2 on April 22. The ‘manual’ rummaging process was initiated by noon the next day. It took the customs’ teams over 24 hours to foraging the bags, only to find such a big heroin haul.

In June 2019, 532 kg heroin with an approximate market value of Rs 2,700 crore was seized by the Customs Department at the ICP in a rocksalt consignment imported from Amritsar based trader, which was described as the biggest drug bust in its history. Apart from the heroin, 52 kg of a mixed narcotic substance was also seized then.

Following this incident, the bilateral trade between India and Pakistan was annulled, but it was open with Afghanistan. The Afghanistan trucks enter through Wagah-Attari land route and regularly import dry fruits, fresh fruits and herbs via ICP.

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