Heroin worth Rs 4.63 crore was seized by customs officials from the house of a Nigerian national in Nammakal district. He was arrested in Kochi on February 9 for allegedly trying to smuggle out drugs worth Rs 7 crore.

In a joint operation, the officials of Customs Preventive Units of Tiruchirappalli and Salem recovered heroin weighing 2.32 kg and currency notes of US and Nigeria totally worth Rs 1.09 lakh.

A house on SPB colony in Tiruchengodu in Namakkal district was raided following interrogation of Nigerian national Henry Chuma Offor by Kochi special unit personnel, which had seized heroin and methaphetamine worth about Rs 7 crore from the Nigerian national. He was produced before a court which remanded him to judicial custody on February 9.

The accused was staying in the SPB colony house under the pretext of studying in a local college. Acting on a tip-off, the Kochi customs officials had arrested the Nigerian after he was found trying to smuggle out drugs including 3 kg of heroin through courier service.