Mumbai: DRI busts drug smuggling operation; seizes cocaine worth Rs 15 crore

Photo/DRI

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has successfully apprehended individuals involved in a significant drug smuggling operation. Acting on intelligence, DRI officers apprehended an Indian passenger arriving on Flight no. ET 640 from Addis Ababa to Mumbai on 18.08.2023.

Upon examining the passenger's luggage, a total of 1496 grams of white powder suspected to be Cocaine was recovered. The estimated illicit market value of the contraband is approximately Rs. 15 Crore.

Through sustained interrogation of the passenger and careful surveillance, the DRI officers conducted a well-planned operation leading to the apprehension of the intended recipient of the contraband drugs. The recipient, a Ugandan national and female, was nabbed while attempting to collect the drugs in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. This operation showcases the DRI's commitment to dismantling drug syndicates and protecting society from the threat of drug smuggling.

Also read: Maharashtra: Man facing criminal cases in Thane held under MPDA Act

Both the individual transporting the contraband and the recipient have been arrested under the provisions of the NDPS Act 1985 and subsequently remanded to judicial custody. The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to uncover additional links within the drugs supply chain.

Meanwhile, a man facing criminal charges in Kalyan town of Maharashtra's Thane district has been detained under provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act, a police official said here on Sunday.

More than half-a-dozen cases, including for unlawful assembly and attempt to murder, had been registered against the accused, Sajid @ Shannu Mohammad Akil Shaikh (25), at various police stations in Kalyan, senior police inspector AB Honmane of MFC police station told PTI

The accused was on Saturday detained under the MPDA and lodged at the Yerawada prison in neighbouring Pune district for one year, the official said.