In past 2 yrs, 23 were arrested with saffron; biggest seizure this yr was in April — 118 kg from 3 Iranians.
Pratul Sharma
New Delhi, May 6: THE Customs department at the IGI Airport claimed a major success as it arrested the kingpin of a saffron smuggling racket passing through Iran and Dubai.
While saffron is not a banned item, Customs officials said that bringing it into the country in large quantities is an offence.
‘‘Noman Ahmed, an Indian national, was arrested on Wednesday. His name cropped up in revelations of the many accused caught earlier with consignments,’’ said Sanjay Bansal, Deputy Commissioner, Customs (Preventive). Ahmed claimed to be a rice exporter, but would take people from his native place in Uttar Pradesh, Azamgarh, to Dubai on the pretext of offering them jobs. When they returned, he would give them the consignment of saffron.
In the last two years, 23 passengers have been arrested with 468 kg of saffron, worth more than Rs 1.5 crore. This year, six seizures were made.
The biggest seizure was made last month, when 118 kg of saffron was recovered from three Iranian nationals at IGI Airport. On Monday, Indian national Abdul Khair Ahmed was arrested with 24.5 kg of saffron, worth over Rs 8 lakh in the local market.
Customs officials said in all these seizures, the saffron orginated from Iran, the world’s biggest producer and exporter of the spice. ‘‘However, the consignments were sent here through Dubai, which is a trade hub,’’ said Bansal. When we started keeping a tab on flights originating from Dubai, the accused started using other routes, he said.
Noman first went to Pakistan and then entered India and other accused also used this long detour, he added. Officials said the trade would suffer, given Noman’s arrest.
Smuggling of saffron produced in Iran, which was not common until 2003, picked up drastically following a drop in indigenous production. Customs officials sought specialised training to identify the medicinal herb, as it it cannot be detected by X-ray during security check.
Customs sources said there is a surge in the number of smuggling cases, as the spice, which also has medicinal value, is in great demand here. Saffron produced in Iran is considered to be the best quality. Iran, which produces 85 per cent of the entire saffron worldwide, exports it to 50 countries, including India, Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan.
Pratul Sharma
New Delhi, May 6: THE Customs department at the IGI Airport claimed a major success as it arrested the kingpin of a saffron smuggling racket passing through Iran and Dubai.
While saffron is not a banned item, Customs officials said that bringing it into the country in large quantities is an offence.
‘‘Noman Ahmed, an Indian national, was arrested on Wednesday. His name cropped up in revelations of the many accused caught earlier with consignments,’’ said Sanjay Bansal, Deputy Commissioner, Customs (Preventive). Ahmed claimed to be a rice exporter, but would take people from his native place in Uttar Pradesh, Azamgarh, to Dubai on the pretext of offering them jobs. When they returned, he would give them the consignment of saffron.
In the last two years, 23 passengers have been arrested with 468 kg of saffron, worth more than Rs 1.5 crore. This year, six seizures were made.
The biggest seizure was made last month, when 118 kg of saffron was recovered from three Iranian nationals at IGI Airport. On Monday, Indian national Abdul Khair Ahmed was arrested with 24.5 kg of saffron, worth over Rs 8 lakh in the local market.
Customs officials said in all these seizures, the saffron orginated from Iran, the world’s biggest producer and exporter of the spice. ‘‘However, the consignments were sent here through Dubai, which is a trade hub,’’ said Bansal. When we started keeping a tab on flights originating from Dubai, the accused started using other routes, he said.
Noman first went to Pakistan and then entered India and other accused also used this long detour, he added. Officials said the trade would suffer, given Noman’s arrest.
Smuggling of saffron produced in Iran, which was not common until 2003, picked up drastically following a drop in indigenous production. Customs officials sought specialised training to identify the medicinal herb, as it it cannot be detected by X-ray during security check.
Customs sources said there is a surge in the number of smuggling cases, as the spice, which also has medicinal value, is in great demand here. Saffron produced in Iran is considered to be the best quality. Iran, which produces 85 per cent of the entire saffron worldwide, exports it to 50 countries, including India, Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan.
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