Major Drug Bust: Rs 47 Crore Cocaine Seized at Mumbai Airport from Colombo Passenger

Packets seized by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence

DRI officers have seized 4.7 kg of cocaine worth approximately Rs 47 crore from a female passenger arriving from Colombo at the Mumbai airport and arrested five individuals, the finance ministry announced on Saturday.

The ministry stated in a release that DRI officers intercepted the passenger shortly after her arrival and conducted a thorough examination of her luggage.

During the inspection, authorities discovered nine pouches containing a white powdery substance hidden inside coffee packets. Initial testing using the NDPS field kit confirmed the substance was cocaine.

"In a significant operation against international drug trafficking networks, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has confiscated 4.7 kg of cocaine, valued at approximately Rs 47 crore on the illicit market, from a female passenger arriving from Colombo at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai," the statement detailed.

The DRI also apprehended four additional syndicate members — one individual who had come to receive the consignment at the airport and three others connected to the financing, logistics, and distribution network of the smuggled narcotics.

All five suspects have been arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the statement added.

"Recent seizures by DRI indicate a troubling pattern where international drug syndicates are increasingly using Indian women as couriers, while concealing narcotics within food items and everyday edibles to disguise the contraband and avoid detection," the ministry noted.