Venezuelan woman held for attempting to smuggle in cocaine worth Rs 4.77 cr: DRI

A Venezuelan woman was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle nearly 800 grams of cocaine worth Rs 4.77 crore into India, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said on Wednesday. She had consumed capsules containing the banned substance, which had to be "purged" out, officials said.

Balzabaptista Karendralenny (27) was apprehended on the basis of specific intelligence inputs after she landed in Mumbai on August 9, they said. An X-ray test revealed the presence of foreign objects in her body, following which the process of extraction was initiated, the officials added.

"During her stay in the hospital, she purged 80 capsules on 17 occasions between August 9 and August 13," an official said. An examination of the capsules revealed that drugs were stored inside those and cocaine weighing 796 grams was seized, he added.

Karendralenny arrived in Mumbai from Brazil's Sao Paulo via the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. She has been remanded in judicial custody till August 20 by a local court.