CHENNAI: In order to prevent drugs from being shipped in and out of
the Country via normal post, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has embarked
on a sensitization programme for India Post employees in the booking
and sorting departments. The drive comes after Postal department
employees tipped off NCB sleuths about the attempt to ship out
contraband concealed in cartons by mixing it with some other material.
The tip-offs led to the arrest of two African Nationals and the subsequent seizure of contraband, including 1,980 g of pseudoephedrine and 95 g of heroin — which they were trying to book and send through the General Post Parcel Service. By the time the arrest was made, the foreign nationals had already shipped a couple of consignments to Canada.
Sources said that premium drugs escape detection during checks as awareness is low among the staff screening it. For instance, a hashish stick resembles pencils lead, but for the dark brown colour, and a postal employee searching for contraband may not identify it. Similarly, ‘Blotting Paper’ which is perforated with Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) will just look like filter paper used in Chemistry labs. Except for experts and LSD users, very few will only be able to find the difference — and it can easily be tucked into a purse along with other bills and receipts.
According to a senior NCB official, drug cartels operating in the country have been forced to use snail mail after private courier firms handling international cargo had intensified their screening processes — with technology and manual screening. “LSD is mostly smuggled into the country from Europe where the postal agencies do not screen the contents properly and it reaches the destination through India Post,” the official said.When contacted, NCB Zonal Director Prem Anand Sinha said that sensitization was needed to stop this issue, “We make them question why such a parcel is being sent for a person living in an educational institution abroad, especially when the contents declared in it is available abundantly there. The same works vice versa also. Postal staff are adviced to flag the parcel and seek NCB’s help. The same applies in the case of booking parcels as well”, he said.
The tip-offs led to the arrest of two African Nationals and the subsequent seizure of contraband, including 1,980 g of pseudoephedrine and 95 g of heroin — which they were trying to book and send through the General Post Parcel Service. By the time the arrest was made, the foreign nationals had already shipped a couple of consignments to Canada.
Sources said that premium drugs escape detection during checks as awareness is low among the staff screening it. For instance, a hashish stick resembles pencils lead, but for the dark brown colour, and a postal employee searching for contraband may not identify it. Similarly, ‘Blotting Paper’ which is perforated with Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) will just look like filter paper used in Chemistry labs. Except for experts and LSD users, very few will only be able to find the difference — and it can easily be tucked into a purse along with other bills and receipts.
According to a senior NCB official, drug cartels operating in the country have been forced to use snail mail after private courier firms handling international cargo had intensified their screening processes — with technology and manual screening. “LSD is mostly smuggled into the country from Europe where the postal agencies do not screen the contents properly and it reaches the destination through India Post,” the official said.When contacted, NCB Zonal Director Prem Anand Sinha said that sensitization was needed to stop this issue, “We make them question why such a parcel is being sent for a person living in an educational institution abroad, especially when the contents declared in it is available abundantly there. The same works vice versa also. Postal staff are adviced to flag the parcel and seek NCB’s help. The same applies in the case of booking parcels as well”, he said.
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Source : http://www.newindianexpress.com
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