Mumbai: DRI seizes meth, ecstasy worth Rs 5 crore; Nigerian woman arrested

Based on a tip-off, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, intercepted a Nigerian woman suspected of carrying narcotics from Delhi to Mumbai by bus. 

The late-night operation involved 50 kilometres of surveillance before officials finally stopped her and searched her luggage, as per news agency ANI. 

“Upon examination of her luggage, officers recovered food packets (oats) and juice tetra packs containing a crystalline substance and tablets. Laboratory testing using the NDPS Field Test Kit confirmed the substances to be 2.56 kilograms of methamphetamine and 584 grams of ecstasy tablets.” DRI said in a statement on Thursday, as reported news agency ANI. 

In a subsequent operation, authorities also nabbed the individual who was meant to receive the consignment. The confiscated narcotics are estimated to be worth about Rs 5 crore in the international black market. 

The Nigerian national has been arrested under the applicable sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

Further investigation is currently underway.

In a separate incident that took place on May 11 this year, officers of the DRI in Mumbai, acting on precise intelligence inputs, intercepted a male passenger who was a national of Chad and had just arrived from Addis Ababa. Following a detailed personal search, the officers discovered multiple gold bars of foreign origin carefully hidden within the heels of the passenger’s slippers. The concealed gold was cleverly tucked away in a manner that was clearly intended to evade detection during security checks.

The total weight of the seized gold was 4,015 grams, with an estimated value of Rs 3.86 crore. In his voluntary statement, the passenger admitted to smuggling the gold to evade customs duties, according news agency ANI. 

The gold was seized, and he was arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act of 1962. Further investigation was launched into the matter.

Earlier in April, DRI officials also apprehended an Indian male passenger at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in Delhi. He was found carrying two kilograms of gold bars, valued at approximately Rs 1.91 crore. The agency seized the smuggled gold, and legal proceedings were initiated under the Customs Act. 

(With ANI inputs)

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