Mumbai: Major Cocaine Smuggling Attempt Foiled at CSMI Airport, Tanzanian Woman Arrested

A significant cocaine smuggling racket operating between foreign countries and India has been busted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Officers intercepted a Tanzanian woman and seized 1,718 grams of high-grade cocaine from her possession. The seized narcotics are valued at approximately ₹17.18 crore in the international market. The woman has been booked under the NDPS Act and has been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by the Esplanade Court.

Over the past few years, drug smuggling from foreign countries into India has seen a steep rise. In response, investigative agencies initiated a special operation targeting international drug networks. During this ongoing operation, DRI officers received specific intelligence that a passenger arriving from Uganda was likely to be carrying cocaine.

Acting on this information, officials intensified checks on all suspicious travellers and their baggage. A woman who had arrived from Entebbe, Uganda, was detained for questioning based on her suspicious behaviour. During a thorough search of her luggage, officers found several food packets, which upon examination were discovered to contain 1,718 grams of cocaine. A preliminary test using NDPS field kits confirmed the substance.

Following the seizure, the accused was formally arrested and charged under relevant sections of the NDPS Act. During investigation, it was revealed that the woman is a Tanzanian national. She claimed she had been handed the cocaine by an individual to deliver it to a contact in Mumbai. In return, she had been promised an air ticket and a commission. She was arrested by DRI officials before she could exit the airport and deliver the contraband.

The case is now under further investigation to trace the wider international network involved in the smuggling operation.