Paradip: Samples of the 22 kg cocaine worth Rs 220 crore seized from a ship anchored at Paradip Port n Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur were reportedly collected and sent for test in forensic laboratory.
As per reports, 22 samples were taken out of the 22 packets of cocaine seized by the Customs Department officials from container ship MV Debi last week. These samples were then sent for laboratory test. The purpose is to ascertain the exact nature and chemical composition of the narcotics substance.
It may be noted that the Customs Department had on Wednesday produced the 22 kg of seized cocaine before the Additional District and Sessions Judge Court at Kujang.
The documents related to cocaine seizure were also submitted to the court. The seized contraband has been kept in the court amid tight security.
However, the investigation has hit a roadblock as the 21 Vietnamese crew members aboard face language barriers, hindering interrogation efforts.
A customs officer was quoted by TNIE as saying that the department has sought the intervention of different government and private agencies, but no interpreter is still available to interrogate these crew members in their language.
The seized cocaine was submitted to the court for sample collection for conducting laboratory test under the NDPS Act 1985.
The court has reportedly directed the Customs officials to expedite the case to nab the accused persons involved in this smuggling case.
Meanwhile, the MV Debi has been stranded at Paradip port for six days. The vessel, registered in Panama and previously anchored at Jebel Ali port in Saudi Arabia, is under scrutiny for suspected drug smuggling with officials investigating the role of new crew members who boarded at Jebel Ali port.
