A 30-year-old South African woman arrested with heroin worth Rs 9 crore at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has previously travelled to South American and Southeast Asian countries in the past which may be for trafficking drugs, the investigations of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has revealed.
The agency scanned antecedents of accused Khanyisile Promise Khalishwayo which has revealed that she may have trafficked drugs in the past as well. The questioning also highlighted the modus operandi of the drug mafias to deploy those who are desperately in need of money.
“In this case, the lady is a single woman who was a mule for the drug syndicate. She was paid Rs 1 lakh,” said a senior NCB officer. “She has also travelled to different countries and we are investigating further on the drug link.
On the basis of a tip-off, a team of NCB sleuths led by zonal director Sameer Wankhede seized a total of 2.96 kilogram of Heroin (commercial quantity) along with 10000 South African Rand from the lady on early Thursday. She travelled from Johannesburg to Mumbai via Doha. The agency on Thursday stated that Heroin (Di-Acetyl Morphine) is an opioid drug made from morphine, a natural substance in the seedpod of the poppy plant. It can be mixed with water and injected with a needle. Heroin can also be smoked or snorted up the nose. All of these ways of taking heroin send it to the brain very quickly. This makes it very addictive. Major health problems from heroin include miscarriages, heart infections, and death from overdose. People who inject the drug also risk getting infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
