The Hindustan Times has reported that in the first week of October large amounts of cocaine and crystal metamphetamine were found in several containers carrying green apples and Valencias from South Africa.
The fruit was on its way from a cold store when it was intercepted after police had reportedly received a tip-off that drugs would be concealed amongst the fruit, reports the Indian Express.
Photo: Mikhail Strogalev | Dreamstime
The busts were made several days apart at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Nava Sheva, Navi Mumbai.
Just under 10kg of cocaine and 198kg of metamphetamine were hidden in boxes of South African Valencias during the first bust, says that Indian customs had received a tip-off that high-value drugs would be entering the country hidden amongst South African fruit.
There was allegedly 50kg of cocaine in the second bust. The total value of the drugs is put at US$369,000.
“This is a new kind of modus operandi involving concealment of drugs in boxes of oranges imported from South Africa,” a source is quoted by the Indian Express.
The report on the Indian Express website includes a photo of the cartons showing oranges in what appears to be the Jupiter Group's Elara Gold citrus brand and bags of white powder, purportedly the confiscated drugs. The possibility that these are counterfeit branded cartons is high; an industry source says that this brand was never traded in India.
Fruit exporter: spurious contact details
The Hindustan Times names the alleged exporting company based, according to its website, in hall 9 of the Johannesburg fresh produce market but a manager at the Johannesburg municipal market has told FreshPlaza that while the address is a real one, it is currently rented by another company.
The Johannesburg municipal market has no knowledge of the implicated fruit exporting company whose telephone numbers on the website are also not functional.
The Fresh Produce Exporters' Forum has confirmed that the fruit exporter implicated in the drug bust in India, is not registered with them as a member.
FreshPlaza has not at the time of press managed to ascertain whether the exporter is registered as an export agent with the Agricultural Produce Agents Council.