ARARIA, May 9 -- The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the District Intelligence Unit conducted a raid at a hotel in Forbesganj, Araria district, and seized over 2kg of cobra venom smuggled from France, officials said, adding that six smugglers were also arrested. The seized venom, weighing 2.157 kg and stored in a glass jar labeled "Made in France," is estimated to be worth over Rs.5 crore in the Indian market. Its value in the international market could range from Rs.30 crore to Rs.100 crore, officials said. Forest Range Officer of Forbesganj, Dinesh Prasad Yadav, confirmed the seizure of the venom and the arrest of the six smugglers, adding that three motorcycles and six mobile phones were also seized from their possession. "Preliminary investigation suggests that the arrested persons are couriers, and the racket is being operated by a kingpin based in another country. The identities of the accused are currently being verified," Yadav added. Sources said the smugglers had entered India from Nepal, and the consignment was in transit to another destination when the raid took place. This is not the first such incident in the region. In 2017, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had seized 1 kg of cobra venom smuggled from France and arrested two individuals from Purnia town. That consignment was valued between Rs.15 crore and Rs.50 crore in the international market. Cobra venom is known to be used in the pharmaceutical industry for producing antivenom, and also finds illegal use in the manufacture of hallucinating party drugs....