15-lbs of cobra venom worth over Rs 200-crore seized from smugglers

The forest department in Jalpaiguri arrested four persons while they were smuggling 15lbs of Cobra venom worth more than Rs 200 crore in international black market. The origin of the venom is believed to be France and the consignment was on its way to Bhutan via Bangladesh, Balurghat and Siliguri.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 16 October 2016.

The recovery was made by the Belakoba range office staffers who arrested the persons from a hotel in Siliguri. They posed as prospective buyers and lured the smugglers to get hold of the venom after two days' effort. Along with the venom, firearm, four rounds of live cartridges and a vehicle were also seized. The venom was inside five bullet-proof jars made of Belgium glass.
The seized venom is worth over Rs 200 crore in international black market and its likely final destination was probably China where it is used to make several medicines. The venom is used in making narcotic drugs which are in high demand in rave parties.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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This has been reported in news18.com dated 12 June 2016.

As the Deputy Chief Minister of Goa has said - Goa is a place for liquor, sun, sand, dance. It is also known for casinos, pilgrimage tourism, honeymoon destination, hinterland tourism and as Electronic Dance music (EDM) destination. He was interacting with reporters on the sidelines of national summit on `Smart Cities in Era of Digital India' organized by Goa government.
While responding to a question on branding the coastal state as a casino destination, he said that Goa is not known just for one thing. Casino is not the only reason for tourists to visit the State. There are several other attractions for tourists to come to Goa. Drug trade and prostitution have given a bad name to the state but these cannot be removed overnight.


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