The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have joined the probe into the seizure of 350 kg of heroin worth over Rs 2,000 crore from a private Container Freight Station (CFS) near Kandla Port. The heroin was seized following a joint operation by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Gujarat ATS on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. The CFS is located 16 km from the Kandla Port. DRI sources said since NCB is the nodal agency in drug seizure cases it has joined the probe and the NIA came into the picture since there is the possibility of narco-terrorism. Officials said so far 13 of the 17 containers have been inspected for drugs. Seventeen containers of 10,318 gypsum powder bags weighing 394,400 kg were imported by Balaji Traders of Pandri Sisona in Uttarakhand. The consignment was imported from Keyvan Yousefi, Boulevar Imam Llosseing Talaieh Faz from Bandar Abbas in Iran. The consignment from which drugs were seized was loaded in October 2021. The seizure and its value are likely to go up as forensic experts check more bags to separate heroin from gypsum powder. DRI has barricaded the area from where the consignment was found. ATS officials said the consignment was lying unclaimed at the CFS near Kandla Port (officially known as Deendayal Port Authority) for about six months. “We got a tip-off and we passed on the information to the DRI,” said a senior ATS official. A team of senior Gujarat police officials are in Delhi to update the Union Home Ministry about the case. The team also met senior NCB officials in Delhi. A DRI team has already left for Uttarakhand to trace the company which imported the consignment from Iran, officials said. “We suspect there is a connection between this seizure and the heroin seized from Mundra port,” said an official. Earlier 2,998 kg of heroin was seized from Mundra port in September 2021. Investigations revealed that another consignment with heroin mixed with talc stone powder had escaped the authorities at Mundra port. Primary investigations revealed that the CFS consignment originated from Kandahar in Afghanistan and was then transported to Iran via Pakistan. From Iran, it left for Kandla Port. The spokesperson of Kandla Port Trust, Om Prakash Dadlani told Mirror on Thursday that the consignment was not seized from the port but from CFS located about 16 km away from Kandla port. “Some people are spreading rumours that the consignment was caught from Kandla Port premises,” said Dadlani.

Ahmedabad Mirror is an award-winning city newspaper from Shayona Times Pvt. Ltd. which covers news, views, sports, entertainment and features. A hyper local daily that is global in its approach.

©2021 Shayona Times Private Limited. All rights reserved. Powered by iTechnoSol Inc.