Usually used to treat common cold and flu, the drug is an ingredient to make methamphetamines (meth), a highly addictive illegal drug.
The police said that the two were planning to send the substance — used to make meth — to New Zealand and Australia. (Supplied)
The Rachakonda Police on Monday, 12 December, said it had busted an international narcotics peddling racket and arrested two people with 8.5 kg of pseudoephedrine and other drugs with an estimated value of ₹9 crore in the global market.
Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is a usually a drug helpful in treating symptoms of the common cold and flu. But it can also be used as an ingredient to make methamphetamines (locally known as meth) which is an illegal drug under Indian law and is considered to be highly addictive.
The police said that the two were planning to send the PSE to New Zealand and Australia. The duo had planned to take the consignment “from Hyderabad and Pune through international courier services via an air cargo route”, they said.
While the police have identified the two arrested accused —Mohammed Kasim (31) and Rasuldeen (39), both natives of Tamil Nadu — three others are absconding.
They are Fareed and Faisal from Maharashtra, and Raheem from Chennai.
The police said that the accused used to pack PSE in cloth boxes, bangle boxes, baby wear gift packs by providing the morphed address proof using Aadhar and PAN cards of locals.
The arrested accused. (Supplied)
After that they would courier it to Australia and New Zealand, the cops added.
According to the police, the investigation established that the twp, natives of the Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu, received the PSE four days back.
“They travelled to Hyderabad in a bus and reached on Sunday (11 December) and stayed in a lodge with the intent to pack and transport the drug to the address provided to them by a person,” Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh Bhagwat told reporters.
Meanwhile, based on a tip, the Special Operations Team (SOT) of Malkajgiri Zone, along with the Nacharam Police, apprehended them.
The police said that the accused had hidden 200 grams of the PSE each in plastic covers in the inner layers of the 23 boxes, along with the clothes.
Rachakonda CP Mahesh Bhagwat with seized pseudoephedrine and other items. (Supplied)
“They have confessed that so far they have shipped 15 consignments of about 70 kg approximately of pseudoephedrine to Australia and New Zealand this year,” the cops said.
Apart from the PSE, the seized items include ₹4,02,500 cash, five passports, seven Aadhar cards, including four duplicates, two Voter ID cards, two duplicate PAN cards, one laptop and a dongle, and 10 mobile phones.
The cops have booked them under the IPC Sections 468 (forgery), and 471 (document forgery), relevant sections of the 1985 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, and the 2016 Aadhar Act.
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