CHENNAI: A major security breach came to light, when sleuths of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested the driver of a private airline company, two supply agents and three carriers, including a Sri Lankan, while trying to smuggle ephedrine, a drug banned under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, at the airport here late Sunday night.“The plan was to smuggle 6.5 kg of ephedrine, worth Rs 1.5 crore in the international market, to Malaysia in a private airliner with the help of a driver of an airline company,” C Rajan, ADGP, DRI, told Express. “Acting on specific intelligence, we busted the plan,” he said.Giving details, the senior police official said that around 11.30 pm, two supply agents, Zakir Hussain (41) of Triplicane and Manikandan (25) of Pallavaram, handed over the drug consignment to Balakumar (28), a driver with Jet Airways, outside the airport on Sunday. “The drugs could have come from either Mumbai or Hyderabad.” Balakumar placed the consignment in a tractor and, bypassing security screening, drove straight into the airport. He transferred the consignment into a Jet Airways’ bus and placed it in on the floorboard of the rear seat, the DRI chief said. “Balakumar was going to drive the bus that will take passengers to a Jet Airways flight for Malaysia, scheduled to leave around midnight.” Meanwhile, three passengers, including a woman, had obtained their boarding passes and were ready to board the flight. They were to get into Balakumar’s bus with a near-empty hand baggage, which had security clearance tags, and occupy the last seat,” the ADGP said. Then, they had to pick up the drug parcel and keep it inside their hand luggage. But the plan came to naught, when the trio was intercepted by a DRI team while boarding the bus and arrested. The DRI chief identified them as Mohammed Bukhari Abdul Khader (70), a Sri Lankan; Ghulam Abdul Rehman Khadria (41), a woman passenger from Kodambakkam; and Muhammed Yusuf Mohammed Mursook (39) of SP Pattinam. Besides the drug consignment, the Jet Airways bus, tractor, a motorcycle and scooter used in the smuggling operation were seized by the police team.Grilled, driver Balakumar said he had rendered similar clandestine help earlier once. The major breach of security, with the active involvement of an airline company’s employee, has raised concern among investigating agencies. S Davidson, Director, South Zone, Narcotics Control Bureau, recalled that in a similar case handled by his agency, the hand of an airport employee was suspected. He said the companies employed contract labourers, who could be involved in the drug smuggling racket. “We are also probing into the issue,” he added.
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