Vijin Varghese I Photo: facebook.com/vigin.varghese.5
Kochi: Vijin Varghese, the accused in the drug trade under cover of fruit import from Kochi informed the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) that he was betrayed by his partner in South Africa. However, the DRI team has dismissed his statement after seizing psychotropic drugs worth Rs 520 crore for a second time from a container loaded with green apples in Mumbai. Drugs worth Rs 1470 cr were seized from another container in Vijin’s name earlier.
DRI has launched an investigation to find how many containers had reached Kerala using the licence of Yemito International Foods India Private Limited owned by Vijin Varghese.
The container which reached Kochi following the arrest of Vijin from Mumbai not carried psychotropic drugs, confirmed the officials. DRI has received information that one more container will arrive at Kochi bearing the address of Vijin’s company and the investigating team has decided to raid this too.
The fruits imported by Yemito International were stored in godowns at Kalady, Kochi and Kozhikode. DRI will soon extend its inspections here also.
The container scanning system was launched in the harbour at Kochi in 2017. However, it is difficult to detect the small quantities of psychotropic substances imported along with the tonnes of other goods in the container.
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