High-Stakes Bust at Mumbai Airport: Cocaine Smuggling Foiled

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted 1,718 grams of cocaine worth Rs 17.18 crore smuggled by a Tanzanian woman at Mumbai's airport. Arriving from Uganda, she concealed cocaine in food packets, a plastic container, and internal capsules. The arrest underscores the increasing use of air routes for drug trafficking.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has made a significant narcotics bust at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, seizing 1,718 grams of cocaine with an estimated value of Rs 17.18 crore from a Tanzanian national.

The woman, who traveled from Entebbe, Uganda, was stopped following specific intelligence regarding cocaine smuggling. Upon thorough inspection, her luggage revealed food packets and a plastic container filled with a white powdery substance, as well as a pouch carrying pellets of a similar nature.

More disturbingly, two capsules were found ingested in her body, a common tactic known as body packing used by smugglers. Field tests confirmed the substance as cocaine, leading to her arrest under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Authorities stress this incident reflects a troubling trend of using international air routes for drug trafficking.

(With inputs from agencies.)