19 January,2011 06:47 AM IST | | Poornima Swaminathan
Smugglers arrested by customs officials claim that China requires vast quantities of elements present in sandalwood to cool nuclear reactors and machinery
Customs officials conducting an investigation of what they thought was a small-scale sandalwood smuggling operation have got the whiff of something more sinister in the air.
Initially, they were under the impression that sandalwood was being smuggled for its medicinal properties or to make musical instruments and for furniture, but customs officials least expected to learn of more technical uses that China has for the aromatic wood.
Officials were earlier under the impression that sandalwood is smuggled only because of its medical properties
Several smugglers arrested at ports over the past six months have claimed that China requires elements present in the wood to cool their nuclear reactors and machinery.
These claims have got customs officials running around in circles and have set off the alarm bells among various intelligence agencies in the country.
Elements present in red sanders (sandalwood) can make it an excellent coolant in nuclear reactors. "In the last six months, we have seen a spurt in cases of sandalwood smuggling. There is a new market being created in China," said a senior customs official.
Last month, the customs unit at Nhava Sheva seized 20 tonnes of red sandalwood (Pterocarpus Santalinus), which smugglers attempted to pass off as aluminium connectors being exported out of the country.
Last year, 230 metric tonnes of sandalwood, worth Rs 21 crore in the open market, was seized by customs.
The customs department has sent out feelers through its intelligence network to gather more information on traders fraudulently exporting sandalwood.
"Sandalwood is usually shipped to Dubai and then sent to other parts of the world," added the unnamed official.
The export of red sandalwood, primarily found in the forests of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), of which India is a signatory.
Besides Nhava Sheva port, red sandalwood has been seized at Kandla port and ports on the east coast.
Another viagra
The Chinese reportedly alsou00a0 use an extract of the smuggled wood to make sex pills similar to Viagra. A kilogram of pterosibilin, which has Viagra-like properties, can be extracted from a tonne of red sanders.
