The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has made a significant seizure at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, confiscating 74,000 capsules of illicitly diverted pharmaceutical drugs and 2.44 lakh counterfeit cigarettes. The haul was discovered at the air cargo terminal, following a tip-off regarding an international syndicate involved in illicit pharmaceutical drug trafficking from India to overseas destinations.

According to an official statement from the NCB, the agency’s Mumbai zonal unit initiated the operation after receiving intelligence about a network operating to procure pharmaceutical drugs from India and divert them for sale to offshore buyers. Surveillance was conducted over a period of time, which eventually led investigators to two containers that belonged to logistics companies. The movement of these containers was stopped at the airport’s air cargo terminal for further inspection.