Heroin worth Rs 84 crore recovered from woman passenger at Mumbai airport; three held

Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recovered nearly 12 kilograms of heroin worth Rs 84 crore from a woman passenger at the Mumbai international airport, following which she was arrested, an official said on Wednesday.

The agency also arrested two more persons outside the airport as the female passenger was to hand over the drugs to them, he said.

”The woman passenger arrived in Mumbai from Harare (capital of Zimbabwe) via Nairobi by Kenya Airways on Tuesday. She was apprehended by DRI officials based on specific intelligence,” he said.

A search of her baggage resulted in the recovery and seizure of 11.94 kg of cream-coloured granules, he said, adding that after testing, the substance was identified to be heroin, a narcotic drug covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

”The seized substance is collectively valued at approximately Rs 84 crore in the illicit market and was concealed inside the passenger’s trolley bags and file folders. The female passenger claimed that the seized drug was given to her in Harare and that she was to deliver them to two individuals in Mumbai,” the official said.

Acting quickly, DRI officials identified and apprehended two more persons who had come to receive the passenger and the contraband from outside the airport.

”All three individuals, including the female passenger, have been arrested under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985,” he said, adding that the DRI officials were probing the case.