Cocaine capsules recovered from passenger’s stomach, worth Rs 14.94 crore

New Delhi: Customs officials have busted a drug smuggling case at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Here, a Kenyan citizen coming from Addis Ababa was stopped on suspicion. During interrogation, he confessed that he had swallowed 67 capsules filled with cocaine, which was smuggled into India.

According to the information, customs officials suspected the passenger’s activities and stopped him at Terminal-3 and investigated. The passenger was taken to the Preventive Customs Office at Terminal-3 and questioned. At first, he kept making excuses, but after thorough interrogation, he admitted that he had swallowed capsules filled with cocaine. After this, he was immediately sent to the hospital for medical examination.

67 capsules were removed from the passenger’s stomach under the supervision of doctors in the hospital. When they were cut and examined, 996 grams of high-purity cocaine was found in them. Initial investigations confirmed that it was cocaine. Its value in the international market is estimated to be around ₹14.94 crore.

Given its quantity, it is clear that it was part of a large international smuggling network that brought drugs to India. The passenger was arrested on February 7 for smuggling and possession of prohibited goods under sections 21, 23 and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985. Along with this, the seized cocaine has been secured under section 43 (a) of the NDPS Act.

In drug smuggling, smugglers fill the narcotic substance in small capsules made of plastic or latex and swallow them, so that they are not caught in the security check at the airport. This method can also prove to be fatal, because if the capsule bursts inside the stomach, the smuggler can die.