The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 55 kg of methamphetamine, valued at around ₹ 300 crore, from a consignment of maize at a Container Freight Station (CFS) facility near Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva port, officials said.
A mobile forensic science laboratory (FSL) team tested the substance at the spot and confirmed it as methamphetamine, officials said. The consignment was allegedly linked to a Pakistan-based narco-trafficking syndicate led by Mohammad Hussain Dad. The seizure comes at a time when the Centre has stepped up its campaign against drug abuse and trafficking, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently calling for a collective effort to make India drug-free and urging families to participate in the nationwide Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyaan. The campaign includes sports events, walks, meditation sessions, cultural programmes, awareness drives, street plays, discussion forums, art competitions and community engagement programmes.
The Prime Minister has also backed a 100-week nationwide anti-drug campaign under the ‘Jan Bhagidari’ initiative, with awareness activities being organised across the country.
The group specialises in smuggling narcotics through cargo containers, according to a preliminary probe. Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on Independence Day, Modi said drug addiction had emerged as a major challenge for the country’s youth and stressed that making India drug-free was a collective responsibility.
The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan was launched by the Modi government in 2020 to address drug abuse and promote awareness about substance use.
