About 100 kgs red sanders wood seized from 2 Chinese

About 100 kgs of red sanders wood, which comes under the endangered category of flora, has been seized from two Chinese nationals by customs officials at the international airport here.
The duo, who were allegedly trying to smuggle the wood to China, were intercepted at the airport last night, official sources said.
During search, the officers recovered small logs of red sanders wood weighing 96 kgs in their baggage.
Both the Chinese nationals were questioned by the customs officials during which they allegedly admitted to carrying the wood for ornamental purpose, they said.
The value of seized woods, which is rich in medicinal value, is about Rs five lakh, the sources said.

They were allowed to leave the country after paying a fine of about Rs 25,000, they said, adding the wood has been seized.

Over 700 kgs of red sanders wood was seized last week from the possession of 29 Chinese nationals at the international airport here.
The officials had imposed a fine of Rs one lakh before allowing them to go. The value of 725 kg of red sanders, which had been seized, is estimated to be around Rs 36.50 lakh.
Red sanders wood, also known as red sandalwood, has a huge demand in China due to its medicinal properties.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the lead agency for detection of cases related to smuggling of contraband and under-invoicing, had on Monday seized 133 metric tonnes of red sandalwood at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai.
A Chinese national was arrested last month for allegedly trying to smuggle about 20 kg of red sanders, valuing about Rs one lakh, at the airport in Chennai. 43-year-old Zhulgieu was to travel by a Malaysian Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur.
The DRI had registered 34 cases of smuggling of red sanders in 2011-12 and seized 611 metric tonnes of the wood.

Red sanders wood, also popularly referred to as red gold, is largely found in the southern regions of the country, mainly Andhra Pradesh.