Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 1 (HBTV): In a major operation against narcotics trafficking, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai Zonal Unit, has seized 4.7 kg of cocaine valued at approximately INR 47 crore in the illicit market from a female passenger arriving from Colombo at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).
Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted the passenger upon arrival and conducted a thorough examination of her baggage, which led to the recovery of nine pouches of a white powdery substance concealed inside nine coffee packets. Testing of the recovered substance using the NDPS field test kit confirmed the presence of cocaine.
In a swift follow-up operation, the officers apprehended the intended recipient of the narcotics at the airport. Subsequently, three more individuals linked to the syndicate involved in financing, logistics, collection, and distribution of the cocaine were intercepted. All five accused have been arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
Further investigation is underway to trace the larger trafficking network responsible for the consignment. The DRI reiterated its commitment to building a Nasha Mukt Bharat by dismantling international trafficking syndicates, disrupting narcotics supply chains, and safeguarding the nation’s health, security, and future.
Earlier on October 19, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested two individuals and recovered around 13.7 kg of Alprazolam worth approximately INR 3.44 crore after busting an illegal manufacturing unit of the medicine in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district.
One of the arrested, Roop Singh Chauhan (51), is a former operator of pharmaceutical firms and a BTech graduate who is currently out on bail in a 2021 NDPS case. The other accused, Abhijeet Singh Chauhan (39), is a former official of the Indian Red Cross Society and a BPharm graduate.
Pursuant to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a Drug-Free India (Nasha Mukt Bharat), and acting on the directives of the Home Minister, the NCB stated that it has achieved significant success in dismantling clandestine laboratories engaged in the illegal manufacture of Alprazolam.
(ANI)