India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers have seized 4.7 kg of cocaine worth about INR 470 million from a female passenger arriving from Colombo at the Mumbai airport and arrested five persons, the finance ministry said on Saturday.

In a statement the ministry said DRI officers intercepted the passenger shortly after her arrival and subjected her baggage to detailed examination.

The scrutiny led to the discovery of nine pouches of a white powdery substance concealed inside coffee packets. Preliminary testing with the NDPS field kit confirmed the substance to be cocaine.

“In a major blow to international drug trafficking networks, DRI has seized 4.7 kg of cocaine, valued at approximately INR 470 million in the illicit market, from a female passenger arriving from Colombo at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai,” the statement said. 

The DRI apprehended four additional persons 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.

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

“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,” the ministry said.

Source: NDTV

--Agencies