New Delhi: In yet another recovery of huge drugs, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials unraveled two cases of Cocaine seizures at the Hyderabad International Airport in a late-night operation yesterday.
Two air passengers i.e., a male Tanzanian national, travelling from Cape Town to Hyderabad via Dubai on a Business Visa and a lady passenger from Angola, with itinerary Angola – Mozambique – Lusaka – Dubai – Hyderabad on a Tourist Visa were apprehended by DRI on suspicion of them carrying narcotic substances .
A total of 8 kg of Cocaine, each passenger carrying 4 kg, were 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 crore.
Multiple cases involving 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 2022, 1.15 kg of Cocaine concealed in pills ingested by a passenger was seized at 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 been affected at other airports also.
Sustained efforts of DRI has led to seizure of more than 350 kg of Cocaine, estimated to be worth Rs. 3,500 crore in illicit market, across the country after January, 2021. This includes a big haul of about 303 kg of Cocaine, seized from a containerised cargo at Tuticorin Port, officials said.