DRI Arrests 2 Nigerians At Mumbai Airport For Smuggling Drugs Worth Rs 30 Crore In Stomach

Acting on a tip-off, the DRI intercepted the two accused, who had landed at the airport from Lagos via Addis Ababa.

The drugs seized at the airport

In a major operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a drug smuggling network and arrested two Nigerian nationals at the Mumbai International Airport. The accused were found to have smuggled drugs worth crores of rupees inside their stomachs.

Acting on a tip-off, the DRI intercepted the two accused, who had landed at the airport from Lagos via Addis Ababa. Though no drugs were found in their bags, the DRI suspected that the accused had concealed drugs inside their bodies.

The accused were produced before the court and granted permission for medical examination. During the medical examination, it was discovered that the accused had concealed drugs in their stomachs.

Over the course of three days, doctors extracted 2.976 kilograms of cocaine in capsule form from the accused's stomachs. The international market value of the seized drugs is estimated to be around Rs 29.76 crore.

The accused have been sent to judicial custody, and the DRI is investigating the drug smuggling network. The DRI has been conducting several major operations in recent days to crack down on drug trafficking, including a large-scale gold smuggling racket.

The action comes just days after cocaine, being smuggled from Addis Ababa was seized at the Mumbai airport DRI. The cocaine worth Rs 25 crore was hidden inside soap bars.

A team of officers from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) conducted the surveillance at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja International (CSMI) Airport. According to reports, the suspected passenger was apprehended by a team of DRI officers in the early hours of February 27.

In January, the Mumbai Airport Customs has seized cocaine worth Rs 28.1 crore concealed by an Indian passenger in a false cavity specially made in a duffle bag. That contraband was also coming from Addis Ababa.

The accused, hailing from Nainital, had kept clothes over the cavity in the bag to dodge the authorities, officials said.

Investigations have so far revealed the accused carried the drug after being lured by a woman on a social media platform under the pretext of monetary benefit, first with a job opportunity and later through intimate conversations, the release said.