₹5 crore ephedrine seized from 3 New Zealand-bound courier parcels; one held in Chennai

NCB Mumbai seized 10.99 kg of ephedrine valued at ₹5 crore from three courier parcels bound for New Zealand.

Two parcels intercepted on July 21 and one on July 25; drugs were concealed in floor mats, cloth rolls, bedsheets, and photo frames.

One suspect, S Hameed, was arrested from Triplicane, Chennai on July 23; forged documents and packing materials were recovered.

The trafficking network operated from Chennai using forged documents, with members traveling to Mumbai and Pune to dispatch parcels.

Ephedrine is a controlled substance diverted for illicit manufacture of methamphetamine; investigation to trace the source is ongoing.