Smugglers turn to Vizag port

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, May 20, 2013: After Mumbai and Tuticorin ports, Vizag port now seems to be a safe passage for smugglers to ship banned red sanders to foreign shores. In a span of just two years the sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) caught two huge consignments of the red sanders stuffed in the container destined for Malaysia.  While it is only a tip of the iceberg many such consignments go unnoticed.

After a fresh seizure in the end of March DRI sleuths here have just launched an investigation into the red sanders smuggling. On a tip off DRI sleuths intercepted a consignment before being loaded into a ship at Vizag Container Terminal of the Vizag Port.

While the container has the capacity of carrying 28tonness the Rourkela based shipper declared 18 tonnes of refractory mortar as cargo. But to their surprise when opened the container had 400 logs of red sanders weighing an approximate 16 tonnes which is valued at Rs 1.6 cr in the Indian market and fetches few more crores in Arab countries and China.

The container was stuffed and sealed at the premises of the shipper in Rourkela in neighbouring Odisha. Later it was sealed with the permission of central excise sleuths. The container was later brought to Vizag Container Terminal by road and the local shipping agent loaded into the ship to Malaysia.

It was at the time of loading, DRI sleuths caught the latest consignment of the red sanders. Red sandalwood is mostly stolen from forests in Chittor and Karnataka and smuggled out of the country mainly through Mumbai and Tuticorin ports. Felling of the trees in forests is illegal and export is also banned. Even trees grown in private farms require permission for felling as red sandalwood is an endangered species.   

Red sanders are smuggled to Malaysia and Dubai from there transported to China where sandalwood is widely used for making musical instruments, medicines and also furnishing homes of the rich.   

Frequent seizures due to increased vigilance at Mumbai and other ports which are traditionally used by the smugglers might have forced them to choose Vizag port these days to smuggle the most valuable and endangered red sanders.

“We heard about red sanders interception at Mumbai and other ports but it’s surprising to note such incidents are occurring here in Vizag port. We strongly believe that there are many such consignments that go out safely unnoticed,” said a Vizag port official.