DRI seizes 137 kg suspected methamphetamine in Tamil Nadu; four arrested
The agency said the consignment, valued at more than ₹100 crore in the illicit market, was allegedly being prepared for transfer to Sri Lanka by sea from Nagapattinam district.
Suspected methamphetamine, foil packets and bags seized in Nagapattinam. AI-assisted montage based on DRI/PIB photographs.
NAGAPATTINAM: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 137 kg gross weight of suspected crystal methamphetamine from a coastal village in Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district and arrested four people in connection with an alleged maritime trafficking network.
The operation was conducted on October 16–17 following intelligence about a consignment allegedly stored for onward smuggling to Sri Lanka, the agency said in a statement issued through PIB on October 18.
DRI said the drugs were intended for a mid-sea transfer and estimated their value in the illicit market at more than ₹100 crore.
Officers recovered six duffel bags containing 27 silver-foil packets, each weighing approximately 5 kg. The packets contained a white crystalline substance suspected to be high-purity methamphetamine. The consignment was seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
In a simultaneous search at the suspected organiser’s premises, officers seized ₹10 lakh in cash, which the agency suspects to be sale proceeds. Two four-wheelers and a two-wheeler allegedly used to transport the consignment were also seized.
The investigation identified people allegedly involved in organising the shipment, transportation, storage and coastal logistics, DRI said.
The four arrested persons have been remanded to judicial custody under the NDPS Act.
