Cocaine worth Rs 80 crore seized at Hyderabad Airport

A total of 8 kg of narcotic substances worth Rs 80 crore was seized at Hyderabad International Airport in coordination with airport customs, said the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on Monday.

The substance was identified as cocaine which was recovered in a late Sunday night operation.

Based on specific intelligence, a male passenger who was a Tanzanian national, travelling from Cape Town to Hyderabad on a Business Visa, and a female passenger from Angola, travelling on a Tourist Visa, were apprehended by DRI on suspicion of them carrying narcotic substances.

"A total of 8 kg of cocaine, each passenger carrying 4 kg, was seized from the passengers from the packets concealed in the false bottom of their trolley bags. The estimated value of the seized cocaine in the illicit market is Rs. 80 crore," said the DRI.

The agency informed that multiple cases involving the seizure of cocaine concealed in the form of pills ingested by air passengers have been booked by the DRI in the last four months.

Sustained efforts of DRI have led to the seizure of more than 350 kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth Rs 3,500 crore in the illicit market, across the country after January 2021. This includes a big haul of about 303 kg of cocaine, seized from a containerised cargo at Tuticorin Port, said the agency.

( With inputs from ANI )

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