Karnataka customs officials seize Rs 1.2 crore worth ecstasy pills

In a major haul, synthetic drugs worth Rs 1.2 crore, concealed inside a massager and sent as a parcel, were seized at the Foreign Post office here by the Customs, an official said on Thursday.

In a major haul, synthetic drugs worth Rs 1.2 crore, concealed inside a massager and sent as a parcel, were seized at the Foreign Post office here by the Customs, an official said on Thursday. The seizure was made on Wednesday when Customs officials opened the parcel that came from a foreign country and declared as 'Foot Massage Machine' following suspicion that it contained contraband goods, Joint Commissioner of Bengaluru City Customs T Parry Vallal said.

The officials of the Postal Appraising Wing and the Preventive Wing of the commissionerate after conducting a detailed examination found the packets stuffed with pills, which were concealed inside the massager, Vallal said. It was found to be ecstasy pills, prohibited under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

"The total quantity of the Ecstasy pills was 2.345 kgs which is valued approximately at Rs.1.20 crores in the international market," the officer added. Investigations were underway, he said adding any import, export, sale, possession and consumption of prohibited Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances would attract a punishment of imprisonment up to 20 years.

Various security agencies have intensified the crackdown against drugs in the city after the Narcotics Control Bureau arrested three people from Kerala who were supplying drugs to Kannada film actors and singers in August. The arrest led to further investigation by the Bengaluru police which arrested two Kannada film actresses Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani, party organiser Viren Khanna, realtor and a suspended government employee.

The Central Crime Branch police recently busted a racket using the darknet for procuring drugs to be delivered through postal service..

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