Dhubri, Nov. 13: On an average 16 trucks laden with red sandalwood from south Indian states are allegedly being transported per month to China via Manipur through the Chagolia and Srirampur inter-state checkgates of Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts of Assam.

The well-knit racket, which operates from different parts of India, also has agents in Chagolia and Srirampur who monitor the consignment and get the trucks out of the gates allegedly by greasing the palms of the officials at the checkgates.

"A hefty amount of around Rs 1.6 crore is paid to the officials as bribe per month against the clearance of 16 trucks carrying red sandalwood," a source said.

The source said from the states, the consignment reaches transporters on the outskirts of New Delhi where the sandalwood logs are concealed under other goods and then moved to Calcutta.

Then it travels to Manipur, the final destination in India, and from there to China through hilly terrain, the source said.

He said the racket is also involved in transportation of cough syrup bottles to northeastern states and return with Manipuri ganja in huge quantities, which are sold at high prices in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and some other states of western and northern India.

A forest official said since 2006, nine trucks of red sandalwood had been seized by various law-enforcing agencies from different parts of Dhubri.

Five of those nine trucks were seized between January 2010 and July 2011 but since then not a single sandalwood truck had been seized though smuggling has increased manifold over the past four years, the source claimed.

Dhubri divisional forest officer A.S. Talukdar, however, refuted the allegation.

"We have sources and informers at Chagolia checkgate and if there had been illegal transportation through it, I would have known about it," Talukdar said.