Rs. 80 cr worth Cocaine seized at Hyderabad airport; Tanzanian man, Angolan woman arrested
A total of 8 kg of Cocaine, each passenger carrying 4 kg, was seized from the passengers from the packets concealed in the false bottom of their trolley bags. The estimated value of the seized Cocaine in the illicit market is Rs. 80 crores.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 2 May 2022 4:14 PM GMT
Hyderabad: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on 1 May apprehended two air passengers carrying Cocaine at Hyderabad airport. Two air passengers- a male Tanzanian national, travelling from Cape Town to Hyderabad via Dubai on a Business Visa and a lady passenger from Angola, with an itinerary Angola - Mozambique - Lusaka - Dubai - Hyderabad on a Tourist Visa were apprehended by DRI on suspicion of them carrying narcotic substances on 1 May.
A total of 8 kg of Cocaine, each passenger carrying 4 kg, was seized from the passengers from the packets concealed in the false bottom of their trolley bags. The estimated value of the seized Cocaine in the illicit market is Rs. 80 crores.
The instances of smuggling drugs by air have increased with easing restrictions on air travel and increased passenger traffic. While Indian Customs have facilitated the clearances smoothly, the alert officers have busted the drug smuggling syndicates and nabbed carriers on multiple occasions across the country. Ingenious ways of transporting have been noticed by way of laminating drugs finely into their baggage which are almost invisible to the naked eye or by concealment in shampoos and food items or at times the passenger becomes body carrier by ingesting drugs in laminated capsules.
Multiple cases involving the seizure of Cocaine concealed in the form of pills ingested by air passengers have been booked by the DRI in the last four months. In two such cases booked in Mumbai during March and April 2022, a total of 2.42 kg of cocaine was found concealed in pills ingested by two passengers.
In April, 1.15 kg of Cocaine concealed in pills ingested by a passenger was seized in Hyderabad, and in another case, one kg of Cocaine was seized at Bengaluru in August 2021. Apart from Mumbai and Hyderabad, seizures of Cocaine have also happened at other airports.
Sustained efforts of DRI have led to the seizure of more than 350 kg of Cocaine, estimated to be worth Rs. 3,500 crore in the illicit market, across the country after January 2021. This includes about 303 kg of Cocaine, seized from a containerized cargo at Tuticorin Port.
