Drugs in cartons of pomegranate seized

Chennai: Narcotics worth Rs 5 crore were recovered from the cargo section at the Chennai airport after customs sleuths found 25 kgs of ketamine and 35 kgs of ephedrine smuggled inside 63 cartons containing pomegranates on Friday.
About 80 pomegranate cartons were scheduled to go by an Air India flight to Malaysia on Saturday morning. During a routine check, the custom officials found a layer of cardboard under the pomegranates in 63 of the 80 boxes. Inside the suspicious cartons, the sleuths found a white powdered substance, which was later verified to be narcotics, banned for exports.
While ketamine is valued at Rs 10 lakh per kg in the international market, ephedrine is sold at a slightly lesser price of `7 lakh per kg.
22/07/12 Deccan Chronicle

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Categories: airports Jul 2012