24 kg of heroin concealed in oil cans imported from Afghanistan found in Mumbai, three held

A consignment of 25.45 kg heroin was recovered from a container at Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has recovered 25.45 kg of heroin from a container at Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai and arrested three persons, the agency informed on Saturday. As in the case of nearly 3,000 kg of heroin seized at Mundra Port in Gujarat last month, this consignment too had originated in Afghanistan, the DRI statement said in a statement.

The DRI Mumbai Zonal Unit had received a specific intelligence that contraband had been smuggled in cans of sesame seed oil and mustard oil. Probably the first time heroin was found concealed in oil cans as it makes nearly impossible to detect the drug during usual examination, the statement read.

The DRI officials examined the container at Nhava Sheva Port and found off-white material concealed at the bottom of five cans of mustard oil. Upon further examination, 25.45 kg of heroin was recovered, the statement said.

The DRI said, the container arrived via Chabahar port in Iran, it was imported from Kandahar in the name of an importer firm with address from South Mumbai. 

During interrogation, the importer - who had lived in Iran for long, revealed details about his Afghanistan connections, the DRI said. The person was arrest under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

His questioning led to the arrest two more persons from Delhi for their alleged involved in `Hawala' transactions for smooth import of the consignment, the DRI statement said.

Earlier, the DRI had seized 294 kg of heroin in July at Nhava Sheva Port. The consignment had originated in Afghanistan and was shipped through an Iranian port.