Mumbai: 2 held by DRI for smuggling heroin worth ₹70 crore

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence DRI has arrested two persons, including a Nigerian national for allegedly trafficking 9.97 kg of Heroin valued about Rs 70 crore from Addis Ababa, the agency officials informed on Monday.

According to the DRI, based on a specific intelligence that narcotic drugs are being smuggled into India by a passenger who was traveling from Addis Ababa to Mumbai, surveillance was mounted by a team of officers from DRI at the CSMI Airport.

"The suspect passenger was intercepted by the DRI team on Sunday and a thorough search of the passenger’s baggage resulted in the recovery of 9.97 kilograms of Heroin concealed in the baggage carried by the said passenger. The illicit international market value of the contraband is about Rs 70 crores," said a DRI source.

During the preliminary interrogation, the passenger revealed that he was to hand over the said trolley bag to a person in a hotel in Mumbai. Accordingly, a trap was laid to apprehend the person who would turn up to take the delivery of the drugs.

"The officers were able to apprehend a Nigerian national who had turned up at the hotel to take the delivery. Small quantities of cocaine and heroine were recovered from the residence of the Nigerian national. The passenger along with the Nigerian national, who is a member of the international drug syndicate responsible for the smuggling of the contraband, has been put under arrest and remanded to DRI Custody," said the official.