Red sanders worth ₹15 crore seized by Customs

Mumbai: The Customs officials on Friday seized a consignment containing red sanders (red sandalwood) weighing 15,020 kg worth ₹15 crore in the illicit market at the Nhava Sheva port. The investigation revealed that credentials of a genuine exporting company were misused to smuggle red sanders to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said a customs officer, adding that their probe is on to nab the perpetrators.

The special intelligence and investigation branch (export) of the Customs department had received a specific input about the smuggling of red sanders and following the intelligence, Customs officers intercepted a container inside the GTI Terminal of JNPT before leaving the country. The container, destined for UAE with declared goods as “empty glass bottles 90ML”, was examined and found to be stuffed with red sanders, said the Customs official.

“A case has been registered under the Customs Act and we have started recording statements of the people connected to the case,” said the officer, refusing to divulge further details about the exporter or the people involved in the smuggling. Another Customs officer, however, revealed that the exporter is from a Mumbai firm and it appears that the smuggler was trying to misuse genuine documents of the company to run his smuggling racket, but did not succeed in the endeavour. The second officer said they are also trying to ascertain if the gang has sent any other consignments to the United Arab Emirates or some other foreign destinations and if some regular gang of smugglers was involved.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/red-sanders-worth-15-crore-seized-by-customs-101640440046083.html