At New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, customs officers have successfully exposed a drug smuggling operation. A Kenyan national arriving from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was intercepted on suspicion. During interrogation, he confessed to swallowing 67 cocaine-filled capsules intended for smuggling into India.
According to information, customs officials, suspecting the passenger's activities, halted him at Terminal-3 for examination. He was taken to the Preventive Customs Office at Terminal-3 and questioned extensively. Initially, he provided evasive answers, but after intense probing, he admitted to swallowing capsules laden with cocaine. He was then promptly sent to a hospital for medical examination.
Under medical supervision at the hospital, 67 capsules were extracted from the passenger's stomach. When opened, they revealed 996 grams of highly pure cocaine. Preliminary checks confirmed the substance was cocaine. It holds an estimated international market value of around ₹14.94 crore.
Source: aajtak
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The quantity indicates participation in a large international smuggling network attempting to bring drugs into India. The passenger was arrested on February 7 under the NDPS Act of 1985, sections 21, 23, and 29, for smuggling and possession of prohibited goods. Seized cocaine was secured under section 43(a) of the NDPS Act.
In drug smuggling, traffickers fill small plastic or latex capsules with narcotics and swallow them to evade airport security. This method can be deadly; a capsule bursting inside the stomach could be fatal.
