Tiruchirappalli: Heroin worth Rs 4.63 crore was today seized by customs officials from the house of a Nigerian national, arrested in Kochi on February 9 for allegdly trying to smuggle out drugs worth Rs 7 crore, in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu.
In a joint operation, the officials of Customs Preventive Units of Tiruchirappalli and Salem recovered heroin weighing 2.32 kg and currency notes of US and Nigeria totally worth Rs 1.09 lakh, Commissioner of Customs K C Johny said.
He told reporters here that the house at SPB colony in Tiruchengodu in Namakkal district was raided following interrogation of Nigerian national Henry Chuma Offor by Kochi special unit personnel.
The seized goods had been produced before the special judge of the Narcotics and Psychotrophic substances court at Salem and sent to the Kochi customs special unit for further investigation.
The Kochi customs special unit had seized from the Nigerian heroin and methaphetamine worth about Rs 7 crore. He was produced before a court which remanded him to judicial custody on February 9.
The accused was staying in the SPB colony house under the pretext of studying in a local college, Jhony said.
Acting on a tip-off, the Kochi customs officials had arrested the Nigerian after he was found trying to smuggle out drugs including 3 kg of heroin through courier service.