Drugs Worth Rs 27 Crore Bound For Sri Lanka Seized In Chennai

In yet another drug bust in Tamil Nadu, the Narcotics Control Bureau seized methamphetamine worth Rs 27 crore in Chennai. The drug was meant to be trafficked to Sri Lanka, the investigators said.

The Narcotics Control Bureau or NCB arrested two men - Vijaykumar and Manivannan and recovered Rs 15 lakh cash and 1.9 kg of Methamphetamine (ICE) from their possession last Tuesday. The cash was believed to be proceeds from the sale of drugs.

Vijaykumar - a Sri Lankan national residing in a Kanyakumari refugee camp - reportedly travelled to Chennai to collect the drug consignment with the intention of trafficking it to Sri Lanka, said the NCB investigators. 

Further searches led to the discovery of an additional 900 grams of methamphetamine at Manivannan's home. Both suspects are being interrogated in judicial custody, with investigations continuing to identify further links in this drug trafficking network.

Chennai's 'Breaking Bad' Moment

The latest seizure comes close on the heels of the arrest of five engineering graduates and a postgraduate student of Chemistry over a drug syndicate in Chennai. He was also a gold medallist in his Bachelor of Science course.

The modus operandi of the accused bore a resemblance to the iconic show 'Breaking Bad'. The engineering students set up a secret makeshift lab, hired the chemistry student and procured the required chemicals to manufacture the drug.

However, they were arrested before they could succeed in the attempt. The group was busted, resulting in the arrest of seven men and about 245 grams of methamphetamine.

The series of seizures has been raising questions if Tamil Nadu is being used as a hub for shipping narcotics to foreign countries.

Similar scenes played out in the national capital region today when police raided a 'meth lab' in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar and recovered 95 kg of drugs in solid and liquid forms.

Recently, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said the eradication of drugs requires unified efforts and cannot be achieved by any single state.

The Chief Minister, while addressing the southern states' police coordination meet held at Guindy in Chennai on October 19, pointed out that the main focus was to tackle issues like drugs, cybercrime, banned tobacco products, and interstate crimes.