3440 psychotropic drugs seized at Chennai airport, city-based businessman arrested

The consignment was to be delivered to Florida in the United States.
Methylphenidate, Zolpidem and Clonazepam tablets
Methylphenidate, Zolpidem and Clonazepam tablets
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Chennai Air Customs on Tuesday seized 3,440 psychotropic drugs at the airport, arresting one person engaged in the pharmaceutical business in the city. Consequentially, a bid to smuggle psychotropic drugs to the United States was foiled by Customs officials.

The officials, acting on a tip-off, seized 3,440 tablets, which included 2340 tablets of Methylphenidate, 600 tablets of Zolpidem and 500 tablets of Clonazepam, which are stimulants, from the airport. A city-based individual engaged in the pharmaceutical business, who had booked the consignment to be delivered to Florida, was arrested.

The drugs are psychotropic substances and fall under Schedule ‘X’ and ‘H’ of the Drug and Cosmetic Rule, 1945, and covered under the NDPS Act, 1985.

Earlier last week, Chennai Air Customs seized 4 kilograms of Pseudoephedrine valued at Rs 40 lakhs under NDPS Act. The drugs were concealed in eight lumbo sacral belts (back pain belts) and two trophies, packed in two courier parcels  bound for Australia. The packages were intercepted at the International Courier Terminal and one person was arrested.

While drugs were prevented from leaving the country, Chennai Customs has also thwarted importing of drugs into the country in several instances. Early September, three post parcels that arrived from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands were intercepted by the Chennai Air Customs at the Foreign Post Office on suspicions that they contained narcotic substances. The parcels contained 215 MDMA (Methyl enedioxy methamphetamine) pills and seven grams of MDMA crystals valued at Rs 7 lakh.

With increasing instances of drug peddling into and from the state, the Madras High Court in July asked the Tamil Nadu government to file a report explaining the steps taken to eradicate drug peddling. The court had then observed that drug abuse has already engulfed Punjab should not be permitted to spread to the rest of the country.

(With inputs from PTI)

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