The plastic rolls contained 5.1kg of ephedrine

BENGALURU: Stumbling upon a novel method of smuggling banned drugs via air cargo, customs sleuths at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Tuesday seized ephedrine worth Rs 5 crore hidden in spools of lace.

Sources with Bangalore Customs attached to the air cargo complex at KIA said the consignment contained 45 plastic spools, which had arrived for clearance. “The consignment was booked in Madurai with a Chennai exporter’s address and was meant to be shipped to Australia. Following suspicion at the complex, officials of the customs courier cell thoroughly examined the spools,” said an investigating officer at KIA cargo section.

The consignment contained bobbins with laces meant for saris, churidars and other Indian garments. “But when we unwrapped the laces from each of the 45 spools, we found an inner layer containing tiny plastic rolls filled with a white crystalline powder. Testing the powder revealed it was ephedrine, a controlled substance under the NDPS Act,” the officer added.

The rolls contained 5.1kg of ephedrine which is estimated to be worth Rs 5 crore in the international market. Investigation revealed the drug was concealed in the spools to avoid detection at the cargo section.

Probe is under way at Chennai customs to find the exporter who had booked the consignment to Australia and the source of the drug, sources added.

