The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) announced on Monday that two travellers, a Tanzanian and an Angolan, were arrested at the Hyderabad international airport with a total of 8 kgs of cocaine worth Rs 80 crore on the black market.
According to a release from the DRI, the officials seized the male Tanzanian citizen and the woman from Angola on suspicion of transporting the narcotic drug late Sunday based on intelligence. The male Tanzanian national was travelling on a Business Visa from Cape Town to Hyderabad via Dubai, while the female passenger from Angola was travelling on a Tourist Visa with the itinerary Angola - Mozambique - Lusaka - Dubai - Hyderabad. A total of 8 kgs of cocaine was recovered from travellers from packets hidden in the false bottoms of their trolley bags, with each passenger-carrying 4 kg. The illicit market value of the seized Cocaine is believed to be Rs. 80 crore.
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With the relaxation of limitations on air travel and increased passenger traffic, the number of cases of drug smuggling by air has increased. While Indian Customs has made clearances go easily, observant officials have disrupted drug smuggling syndicates and apprehended carriers across the country on several occasions.
Ingenious methods of transporting contraband have been discovered, such as laminating drugs finely into their luggage, making them almost invisible to the naked eye, or hiding drugs in shampoos and food items, or even turning the passenger into a body carrier by ingesting drugs in laminated capsules.
In the previous four months, the DRI has been involved in a number of cases involving the seizure of Cocaine hidden in the form of pills consumed by flight passengers. A total of 2.42 kg of cocaine was discovered hidden in tablets consumed by two passengers in two similar cases registered in Mumbai in March and April 2022.
After January 2021, DRI's further efforts resulted in the seizure of more than 350 kg of Cocaine, valued at Rs. 3,500 crore in the criminal market. This includes a large haul of roughly 303 kgs of cocaine confiscated at Tuticorin Port from a containerized cargo.
(Edited by : Anand Singha)
