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New Delhi: Around 5,000 kg of drugs and 94.2 lakh tablets worth Rs 11,300 crore were seized in nine Indian ports, including Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai and Adani Port in Mundra, between 2020 and 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed the Parliament last week.
It said 4,963 kg heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine worth Rs 10,932 crore and 94.2 lakh Tramadol tablets were seized from these facilities.
The MHA statistics tabled in Rajya Sabha on August 20 through a written reply to questions raised by CPI MP PP Suneer showed that there were 19 instances of drug seizures during five years with JNPA, Mumbai topping the list with seven instances. The Adani Port in Mundra has witnessed three cases.
According to the MHA data, the biggest seizure was from Adani Port on 19 September, 2021 when 2,988 kg of heroin worth Rs 5,976 crore was captured. In this instance, a case has been filed, three persons were arrested, and licences of three brokers were banned.
Fifty-two kg of cocaine worth Rs 260 crore was also seized on 26 May, 2022 as well as 75 kg heroin worth Rs 150 crore three months later on July 11 from the Adani Port.
In 2020, there was only one case when JNPA saw the seizure of 191 kg of heroin worth Rs 382 crore. However, the next year saw the highest seizures in five years, as 3,610 kg drugs worth Rs 8,129 crore were seized from three ports in four instances.
The year 2022 saw ten instances of seizures from six facilities – 1,161 kg of drugs worth Rs 2,417 crore while in 2023 there was only one case of seizure from ports – one kg of cocaine worth Rs five crore from AV Joshi CFS, Gandhidham. Last year saw three cases of seizures of Tramadol tablets – two from CFS, Mundra and CFS Kolkata.
Of the 19 cases, five are under trial while in six instances, cases have been registered. In one case, chargesheet is not yet framed while in another, a criminal complaint is filed in a court against four persons and an export company. Details of other cases are not available.