7 tonnes of red sanders bound for Malaysia seized in Thoothukudi; 2 held

Madurai: Seven tonnes of red sanders logs have been seized by sleuths attached to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in Thoothukudi on Thursday. After having seized the contraband and foiled the smuggling bid, the authorities have arrested two persons including a truck driver, sources said. Acting on a tip off, the DRI team conducted checks in a private godown in the Sipcot area of Thoothukudi. The team then conducted search operations in a container freight station, where they checked nine boxes and found the red sanders logs concealed under iron pipes. Investigations revealed that the consignment was transported from Tirupur on April 26 for shipment to Malaysia from Thoothukudi port. Each of the nine boxes contained red sanders logs covered with black tape. The seized contraband is worth Rs 12 crore, sources said.