Mumbai, July 26:The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized 11 kg of ephedrine destined for New Zealand and arrested a key suspect from Chennai in connection with an international drug trafficking syndicate, officials said.

According to the NCB, the operation was based on specific intelligence inputs that led officers to intercept three international courier parcels on July 21 and July 25. The parcels, all bound for New Zealand, were found to contain a total of 10.990 kg of ephedrine.

The arrested accused, identified as S. Hameed, was taken into custody from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, for his alleged role in the cross-border drug trafficking network.

Investigators revealed that the syndicate had been operating from Chennai and used forged identity documents to book international courier consignments. To evade detection by law enforcement agencies, members of the network frequently travelled to cities such as Mumbai and Pune to dispatch the parcels.

On July 21, acting on credible intelligence, NCB officials identified and intercepted two suspicious courier packages at a Mumbai courier facility. Although the parcels appeared to contain floor mats, a detailed inspection uncovered 7 kg of ephedrine carefully concealed between layers of the mats and cloth rolls. Verification of the accompanying shipment documents revealed that they were forged.

Further investigation traced the operation to the Triplicane area of Chennai. A search of the suspect's premises led to the recovery of packing materials, a digital weighing machine, heat-sealing machines, plastic bags, forged identity cards, digital devices and other incriminating documents.

Hameed was arrested on July 23 and subsequently brought to Mumbai for further investigation.

During questioning, the accused allegedly disclosed details of another courier consignment that was already in transit to New Zealand. Acting on this information, NCB officers intercepted the third parcel in Maharashtra's Kalyan district on July 25, leading to the seizure of the remaining quantity of ephedrine.

The investigation into the international trafficking network is ongoing, and officials are working to identify other members of the syndicate and uncover the full extent of its operations.