Red sander logs valued at Rs 16 crore were seized by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence while allegedly being smuggled to Malaysia.
Acting on a tip-off that red sanders were concealed in containers and were in the process of being shipped from Chennai Port Trust to Port Klang, Malaysia, DRI officials seized the logs.
The goods had been declared as garments and floor mats, a press release said.
The officials also seized three more containers and found red sanders instead of the declared cargo, the release said.
As per Indian Trade Classification (Harmonised System) notified by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade "export of red sanders in any form is prohibited".
Forty metric tonnes of red sanders valued at Rs 16 crore was seized.
Further investigation was on to apprehend those behind the attempts to smuggle the red sanders.
In the last three years, the DRI Chennai zone had seized 176 metric tonnes of red sanders logs with value of more than Rs 71 crore, it added.
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