KOCHI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) believes that Mansoor Thachamparambi, who is the suspect in the smuggling of Rs.1,476 crore worth of drugs to Mumbai under the cover of importing oranges, has imported fruits into Kerala. The DRI has started an investigation into the import of fruits for prominent fruit traders in the state.

Mansoor, who is living in South Africa, had sent consignments of oranges for fruit traders in Kochi and Kozhikode in a span of two years. Investigation officers are checking if it reached directly to the Kochi port.

313 shipments for Yumito Foods International, registered in Kalady, were sent to Mumbai port. Some of the containers on the ship reached Kochi.

Mansoor is the owner of More Fresh Exports in Johannesburg. The consignment sent by More Fresh for Yumito Company contained 198 kg of pure Crystal Methamphetamine and 9 kg of cocaine. The managing director of Yumito, Vijin Varghese, got arrested. The DRI believes that Mansoor played the main role in drug smuggling.

The DRI is trying to bring Mansoor Thachamparambil to India. Mansoor, who reached South Africa from India two weeks back, has registered a case in Johannesburg against his employee Amrit Patel, who is said to have sent the container.

The storehouse of Yumito company at Kalady was found to contain hundreds of caters with rotten fruits. This was supplied to the nearby pig farm as food. Expensive oranges and apples were sold cheap on the roadside and in shops in Kalady. The fruits at the rented cold storage unit in Vazhakulam were found to be usable. Vijin Varghese opened his new office and godown with cold storage facility at Kalady one and a half months ago. Investigation agencies say that the transactions of More Fresh India, a company begun by Vijin Varghese and his brother in Kochi last year, are not clear.