Hyderabad, December 31: In one of the biggest seizures of ‘controlled and synthetic drugs’, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has confiscated over 5,500 kg of different drugs worth over Rs 1,000 crore in the international market and arrested four persons.
On a specific intelligence that drug gangs from Chennai and Hyderabad were coming together for a major operation, DRI officials mounted surveillance and searched a car on the night of December 26 at Jeedimetla, on the outskirts of the city, which led to recovery of 96.85 kg of ephedrine drug kept in gunny bags and seized the same and nabbed two persons, the DRI said in a release today.
The value of the substance was estimated to be Rs 76 lakh in Indian grey market and Rs 19 crore in the international market, it said. Based on interrogation of the two accused identified as K Rama Babu and V Durga Rao, it was revealed that the drug was diverted from a pharma chemical factory in Jeedimetla and security in-charge of the factory K Srihari Raju had allegedly sold the substance. Raju is absconding since the incident.
Subsequently, DRI officials conducted searches at the factory premises that resulted in seizure of total quantity of 5,595 kgs of different controlled drugs valued at Rs 39.35 crore in Indian market and Rs 983 crore in international market, the release added. The DRI officials later arrested Abdul Rahman and N Gani, from Hyderabad Airport who were smuggling such drugs to Malaysia. The accused have been booked under NDPS Act.
-PTI