NCB seizes 2.7 kg cocaine from Venezuelan national

Sources said Infante arrived in Kochi on a tourist visa and was supposed to leave soon after delivering the consignment. He did not know who and where he is supposed to deliver the contraband, as he had been told that he would be given directions on arrival. 

NCB believe that Infante works for the South American cocaine cartel and the seized consignment might have been sourced from the cocaine production belt in his country.  While the Venezuelan national has been arrested, further investigation is on to ascertain his links in Kochi. This is the fifth seizure of cocaine by NCB in Chennai zone. Coca leaf is the raw material to manufacture cocaine, a powerful stimulant and anaesthetic, which extracted chemically and abused for its psychoactive effects.

Meanwhile, Railway police have seized 12 kg ganja from a passenger at Chennai Central on Friday night. The accused, Ramamoorthy of Theni district, reached Chennai from Andhra Pradesh in an express train. When they intercepted him on suspicion and checked his bag, the Railway police personnel found ganja leaves worth Rs 3 lakh packed in six packets. Ramamoorthy was handed over to Narcotics Intelligence Bureau officials of the Tamil Nadu police.