In a major drug bust, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested a woman at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Monday after recovering cocaine worth Rs. 62.6 crore concealed in chocolate and biscuit boxes. The woman had arrived from Doha, Qatar.
According to officials, the DRI had received specific intelligence indicating that a female passenger on a Doha-Mumbai flight was carrying narcotics. Based on this input, the agency’s Mumbai unit tracked and intercepted the woman immediately upon her arrival.
A detailed inspection of her luggage led to the discovery of six Oreo boxes and three chocolate boxes containing 300 capsules filled with a suspicious powder. Preliminary tests conducted using a field drug detection kit confirmed the substance to be cocaine.
The contraband weighed a total of 6,261 grams and was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The woman has been taken into custody and is facing charges related to trafficking of commercial quantities of narcotics, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years if convicted.
Investigators revealed that the woman had allegedly been promised a substantial commission for smuggling the drugs. During questioning, she claimed she had no contact details of the person meant to receive the package and was simply told to wait for a phone call after landing in India.
Authorities are now probing deeper into the network, attempting to identify the source of the narcotics, the handlers, and any accomplices. They are also investigating whether this was her first involvement in drug trafficking or part of a larger operation involving multiple trips abroad.
The case highlights the evolving methods used by international drug syndicates to smuggle narcotics into India and the DRI’s ongoing efforts to dismantle such operations.
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