The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has reported the arrest of a Kenyan woman passenger at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on charges of smuggling cocaine with an estimated value of Rs 16.98 crore. The woman arrived from Nairobi on August 22 and was apprehended based on profiling. Subsequent examination of her luggage led to the discovery of nearly 1,698 grams of cocaine.
She was also found with an air ticket for a Mumbai-bound flight scheduled to depart a few hours later, suggesting a planned delivery of the contraband in Mumbai. The DRI subsequently laid a trap in Mumbai and apprehended the recipient, another Kenyan woman from the Vasai area. Both the carrier and the recipient have been arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The DRI has seen an increase in cocaine and heroin seizures this year, with more than 31 kg of cocaine and 96 kg of heroin seized by officers during January 2023 alone.