Chennai Customs thwarts efforts to smuggle ‘Red Buli’ ecstasy pills in foreign postal parcel from Netherlands

Chennai Air Customs has seized narcotics worth Rs 3 lakh which arrived from the Netherlands at a Foreign Post Office in the Tamil Nadu capital, officials said on Thursday. 

Total 100 MDMA (Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine) pills valued at Rs 3 lakh were recovered and seized under the NDPS Act, 1985, Chennai Air Customs said in a statement. 

Based on intelligence, Chennai Air Customs detained one postal parcel suspected to contain narcotics substance, which was arrived from the Netherlands at Foreign Post Office, Chennai, it said. 

"On examination, the parcel was found to contain pink colour pills suspected to be MDMA, a narcotics substance. Total 100 pills of MDMA valued at Rs 3 lakhs were recovered and seized under the NDPS Act, 1985," the statement said. 

These hexagonal pills are commonly known as ‘Red Buli’ and have a ‘bull’ stamp on one side and contain around 250 mg of MDMA, which is a very high dose. Dosage above 120 mg is considered to be quite high and can be fatal.

Recently, in February 2020, a man died and a woman got seriously ill after taking this Red Buli MDMA pill in the UK's Warwickshire, it said. 

"The parcel was destined to a residential locality in Ambattur, Chennai city. On reaching the locality it was found that the address was incomplete and inquiries were made and it was found out that no person with the consignee name was living there," the Chennai Air Customs said, adding that efforts are being made to apprehend the accused.

Last month, Chennai Customs had thwarted an ecstasy drug smuggling via foreign post by seizing two parcels. It had seized a parcel containing 100 pills of MDMA, worth over Rs 3 lakh. In both these cases, the parcel was seized at the foreign post office based on intelligence inputs and arrests were also made from other states. 

MDMA is commonly known as ecstasy, a party drug that alters mood and perception and is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens which produce feelings of increased energy and pleasure.