a cursory glance at the tin cans which had heroin concealed in them does not reveal much. they do not look any different from the innocuous food cans one finds at general stores. but the fact that the smugglers managed to send the contraband outside india using this modus operandi has yet again exposed the limitations of drug detection at entry and exit points.the covers of the processed fish cans are first removed with extreme precision and half the contents are removed. the smugglers then fill the empty part with heroin before putting the cover back. once several such cans are arranged together and a plastic cover is wrapped around them, one can hardly make out that they have been tampered with.&ldquoit was found that the syndicate packaged the heroin by emptying tin cans containing precookedprocessed food articles. packing limited quantity of the drug in large consignmentscrates of processed food tin cans seldom raises eyebrows and often passes undetected by sniffers or scanners,&rdquo said a police officer.this is because the scanners available at ports or airports cannot detect the presence of drugs. sniffer dogs, normally considered a more reliable option with drug detection, also fail to detect the presence of heroin because of the strong smell of fish, said the officer. this is how the consignment makes it way out of the country through legitimate channels.then again, between india and sri lanka a lot of informal boat services operate. these are also used by the smugglers.source httpwww.thehindu.comnewscitiesdelhicleverpackagingcheatedsniffersscannersar…
