Three Foreign Nationals Arrested for Smuggling Cocaine Valued at Nearly Rs 40 Crore at Delhi Airport: Customs Officials

NEW DELHI, Feb 9: The customs department announced on Sunday that three foreign nationals were apprehended for attempting to smuggle cocaine valued at nearly Rs 40 crore at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

The suspects, two Brazilian women and a Kenyan man, reportedly ingested capsules filled with cocaine and were arrested in separate incidents.

In one instance, a 26-year-old Brazilian woman was detained upon her arrival from Sao Paulo, via Paris, on January 28.

During interrogation, she revealed to officers that she had concealed capsules containing narcotics. Consequently, she was taken to Safdarjung Hospital for medical evaluation, where she expelled 98 capsules containing a total of 866 grams of cocaine, estimated to be worth Rs 12.99 crore. Subsequently, she was arrested.

On January 24, customs officials also apprehended another Brazilian woman arriving from Sao Paulo via Paris. Following questioning, she admitted to swallowing drug capsules and was taken to the hospital, where she expelled 100 oval-shaped capsules over the following hours. Tests revealed that the capsules contained white powder suspected to be cocaine, totaling 802 grams with an estimated street value of Rs 12.03 crore.

“Initial assessments confirmed the presence of high-purity cocaine, pointing to a sophisticated smuggling operation aiming to infiltrate drugs into India,” the customs department stated.

The Kenyan male suspect was detained upon his arrival from Addis Ababa on January 24. He also confessed to having ingested cocaine-filled capsules. At Safdarjung Hospital, he expelled 67 capsules containing 996 grams of cocaine, valued at Rs 14.94 crore.

“Given the volume involved, this indicates a larger international smuggling operation targeting India,” customs officials noted in a different statement.

All three cases involved high-risk body concealment smuggling techniques. “Thanks to the prompt actions of IGI Airport customs officers, nearly 2.66 kg of cocaine worth Rs 39.96 crore has been intercepted before reaching Indian markets! Investigations are ongoing to identify the broader network behind these operations,” the department concluded. (PTI)