DRI seizes 3.49 kg of cocaine worth nearly 35 crores | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: The zonal unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, on Friday seized 3.49 kg of cocaine from the alleged possession of a Liberian national who had come to Mumbai from Sierra Leone. The contraband was allegedly recovered from two packages hidden in the false bottom of a wheelie bag she was carrying.

According to intelligence inputs, the passenger was intercepted by DRI officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Friday. During the examination, they noticed that her wheeled bag was extremely heavy even after emptying its contents, DRI sources said. Two packages containing white, powdery substances were ingeniously hidden in the false bottom of the travel bag.

“The recovered substance was tested using a field testing kit and tested positive for cocaine. A total of 3,496 grams of cocaine with an illicit street value of approx ₹34.96 crore seized,” a DRI source said.

DRI has arrested the accused passenger and further investigation is ongoing to identify the alleged international drug trafficking syndicate for which she is suspected to have acted as a transporter. “DRI is committed to dismantling drug trafficking syndicates and protecting our citizens from the drug menace,” the source said.

In another case, DRI seized cocaine in September last year ₹9.73 crore in the informal economy from a Brazilian national who allegedly smuggled the amount. The DRI intercepted the accused after she arrived in Mumbai from Sao Paulo in Brazil and she allegedly finally confessed to swallowing the capsules containing the narcotic substance, agency sources said.