Over 3,000 kg of red sandalwood seized at airport

In one of the biggest seizures, Customs officials have recovered over 3,000 kg of red sandalwood, worth around Rs 3.15 crore in the international market.
The consignment was being smuggled to Hong Kong. The wood, also known as red gold, has a huge demand in China due to its medicinal properties and other usage.
The Customs officials at cargo airport here had on Saturday found 11 suspicious boxes which were being sent to Hong Kong.
"When we opened them, we found small logs of red sandalwood stuffed in them. The consignment was being sent from Delhi," a customs official said.

A huge 3,150 kg of red sandalwood was kept in the boxes. The wood can fetch as high as 3.15 crore in international market, he said.
A kilogramme of the wood costs about Rs 10,000 in black market.

The parcels were booked on a fake address. We are trying to find out about the detail of consignor and consignee for the parcel, the official said.
It is one of the biggest seizure of red sandalwood at cargo terminal here. Customs officials both at cargo and passenger terminals said the smuggling of red sanders has increased in recent past.
"We have been registering cases of red sandalwood smuggling frequently. The trend shows its high demand in China," he added.

The red sandalwood is largely found in the southern regions of the country, mainly in Andhra Pradesh. The wood comes under the endangered category of wild flora and fauna whose export is banned by the government.