India’s Central Bureau of Investigation, also called the CBI, has confiscated a massive consignment of narcotics from a vessel at the Visakhapatnam Port.
The ship was checked as part of the CBI’s program called Operation Garuda, meant to combat drug cartels.
CBI acted swiftly after it received the information from Interpol and said this involved an international criminal network which is importing drugs by mixing them with other materials commonly known as cutting agents.
CBI found cocaine mixed in bags containing inactive dried yeast meant to serve as fish feed.
The shipping container having drugs was booked from Santos Port, Brazil, for delivery at India’s Port of Visakhapatnam in the name of a Private Company, Sandhya Aqua Exports Private Limited.
CBI has registered a complaint against the company and seized the entire consignment, containing a thousand bags of inactive dried yeast, each weighing 25 Kg, totalling 25,000 kg.
The 1000 bags tested for the presence of drugs showed positive for cocaine/methaqualone.
Sandhya Aqua Exports claimed to have imported the product for the first time and did not know its composition. An investigation into the matter has begun.
References: Hindustan Times, Times of India
