Chennai, October 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 137 kg of crystal methamphetamine, valued at around ₹100 crore in the illicit drug market, from a coastal village in Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district and arrested four people in connection with an alleged smuggling operation targeting Sri Lanka.
According to the DRI, the accused were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and remanded to judicial custody.
The operation was launched following specific intelligence that a large consignment of narcotics had been moved to a coastal location in Nagapattinam for storage and onward shipment to Sri Lanka.
During the search, officials recovered six duffel bags containing 27 packets wrapped in silver foil, each weighing approximately 5 kg. The packets contained a white crystalline substance suspected to be high-purity methamphetamine. The substance was sent for laboratory testing, and the contraband was seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act.
In a simultaneous search at the premises of the suspected organiser, DRI officers also seized ₹10 lakh in cash, suspected to be proceeds from drug sales. Two four-wheelers and a two-wheeler allegedly used to transport the consignment were confiscated.
The agency said the operation uncovered multiple links in the alleged trafficking network, including those involved in organising the coastal shipment, transporting and storing the drugs, and managing logistics.
The DRI described the seizure as a major action against organised drug trafficking and said it reflected continuing efforts to prevent India’s coastline from being used as a corridor for illicit narcotics. Officials characterised the recovery as one of the biggest narcotics seizures in Tamil Nadu’s coastal region in recent years.
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