₹11.25 Crore Cocaine Seized at Mumbai Airport, Four Foreigners Arrested

In a major anti-drug operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 2.25 kilograms of cocaine worth nearly ₹11.25 crore at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport over the last four days. Four foreign nationals have been arrested in connection with the international drug trafficking case, officials confirmed on Saturday. According to the DRI, the accused arrived in Mumbai from Addis Ababa on different days. Officials acted on specific intelligence inputs and carried out two separate operations at the airport. During questioning, the suspects admitted to concealing cocaine capsules inside their bodies by swallowing them before boarding their flights. In the latest operation conducted on Friday, DRI officials intercepted a male and female passenger soon after their arrival from Addis Ababa. After intensive interrogation, both confessed to carrying drugs internally. They were immediately taken to a government hospital, where doctors recovered 84 capsules containing cocaine from their bodies. The total weight of the seized narcotics in this operation was around 1.40 kilograms. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, another African man and woman arriving from Addis Ababa were detained by the DRI. Officials later recovered 63 capsules filled with cocaine from them. The total quantity seized in the earlier operation was approximately 850 grams, valued at around ₹4.25 crore in the international market. Combining both operations, authorities recovered a total of 2.25 kilograms of cocaine. Officials estimate the overall value of the seized drugs at nearly ₹11.25 crore, making it one of the significant airport drug busts in recent weeks. The DRI has launched a deeper investigation to identify the wider network linked to the smuggling racket. Officials suspect the involvement of an international drug syndicate operating through African routes into India. Investigators are now trying to trace the intended receivers of the cocaine and uncover possible local connections within the trafficking chain. Authorities said further arrests are possible as the investigation continues. The seized cocaine has been sent for forensic examination, while the accused are being questioned to gather more information about the smuggling operation and its international links.