Woman held at Mumbai airport with Rs 47 crore cocaine in coffee packets

Mumbai, Nov 1 (IANS) A woman who landed at the Mumbai airport from Colombo was arrested for carrying 4.7 kg of cocaine, valued at nearly Rs 47 crore in the illicit market, in nine coffee packets, an official of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said on Saturday.

The DRI also apprehended four other members of the syndicate — one who had come to the airport to receive the consignment and three others linked to the financing, logistics, and distribution network of the smuggled narcotics, said the statement.

All five accused have been arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, said the DRI.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted the woman passenger shortly after her arrival and subjected her baggage to detailed examination, said the statement.

The scrutiny led to the discovery of nine pouches of a white powdery substance cleverly concealed inside coffee packets, it said.

Preliminary testing with the NDPS field kit confirmed the substance to be cocaine, it said.

Calling it a major blow to international drug trafficking networks, the DRI said it has launched an investigation to uncover the wider transnational syndicate orchestrating the smuggling attempt.

Some of the recent seizures by DRI indicate a concerning trend wherein international drug syndicates are increasingly exploiting Indian women as couriers, while concealing narcotics within food items and everyday edibles to camouflage the contraband and evade detection.

In a separate case, the DRI last month busted a major narcotics manufacturing and distribution network operating across the National Capital Region, arresting 26 foreign nationals and seizing large quantities of heroin, cocaine, and amphetamine valued at Rs 108.81 crore in the illicit international market.

In total, 16.27 kg of amphetamine, 7.9 kg of cocaine, 1.8 kg of heroin, 2.13 kg of ganja, and 115.42 kg of precursor chemicals — collectively valued at approximately Rs 108.81 crore — were seized during the course of the operation.

The coordinated multi-day operation was conducted between October 21 and 23, said an official statement.

--IANS

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