Chennai, 22 August

Shark Fins and banned narcotics were seized in multiple incidents at the Airport here over the last few days and passengers who were bound for various overseas locations were arrested in this connection, Customs department authorities said on Friday.

Acting on specific inputs, the department sleuths intercepted two men bound for Singapore on 17 August and recovered 11.6 kg of shark fins from them.

"During interrogation, the passengers admitted that they had been recruited by an individual who had promised them monetary compensation in exchange for transporting the contraband from Chennai to Singapore," a press release from Customs department Joint Commissioner Sadeesh Kumar K said.

The export of shark fins is prohibited under the Foreign Trade Policy and the contraband was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

In the two separate incidents on 21 August, the officials recovered banned narcotic substance Ganja/Mariujana from two different passengers who arrived here from Bangkok on 21 August.

During the examination of the baggage of the first passenger, 7,826 grams of green-colored Hydroponic Ganja concealed in vacuum packets was recovered. He admitted to the crime and the narcotic substance was seized under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

The second passenger carried 3,966 grams of Hydroponic Ganja, concealed in a false compartment of a suitcase. Testing of the item confirmed that the recovered substance was Ganja-Marijuana and during interrogation, the passenger confessed to the crime. Both the passengers in the two cases were remanded to judicial custody, the release added.