HYDERABAD: In a significant drug bust in latest occasions within the nation, the Directorate of Income Intelligence (DRI) on Sunday evening seized 8kg of cocaine valued at Rs 80 crore from two African nationals at metropolis’s Rajiv Gandhi Worldwide Airport (RGIA).
The duo, arrested by the DRI, have been recognized as mules of drug traffickers. Amongst them is a Tanzanian man who was travelling from Cape City to Hyderabad by way of Dubai on a enterprise visa and was arrested whereas he smuggled in 4 kg of cocaine. The opposite passenger, a girl, intercepted by DRI sleuths is from Angola and travelled from Mozambique to Hyderabad by way of Lusaka and Dubai on a vacationer visa.
The DRI seized a complete of 8 kg of cocaine hid in false bottoms of their trolley luggage. Drug smuggling circumstances via air routes have elevated after Covid-19 restrictions have been eased.
DRI: Physique carriers frequent
It's a novel technique to cover medication by laminating them finely into the luggage, nearly invisible to the attention. Concealment in shampoos, meals gadgets or, at occasions, the passenger changing into a physique provider by ingesting laminated capsules is frequent modus operandi," DRI mentioned in a notice.
In 4 months, DRI booked a number of circumstances involving seizure of cocaine in tablet type ingested by air passengers within the rectum. In two circumstances booked in Mumbai in March and April 2022, 2.42 kg of cocaine was seized. In April 2022, 1.15 kg cocaine - being carried the identical approach - was seized at Hyderabad and 1kg cocaine was seized at Bengaluru in August 2021.
Since Jan 2021, DRI carried a number of operations and seized over 350kg cocaine, estimated to be Rs 3,500 crore, from throughout nation. This consists of 303 kg of cocaine seized from containerized cargo at Tuticorin Port.