Drugs seized at KIA: Cocaine worth Rs. 9 crores removed from accused's stomach

In a significant bust at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Bengaluru arrested a Venezuelan national and seized cocaine worth Rs. 9 crore. The accused, who arrived in Bengaluru on an Emirates flight from Dubai on February 9, was apprehended by DRI officials upon suspicion.  

Upon conducting a medical examination, it was discovered that the 40-year-old passenger, travelling on a tourist visa, had concealed cocaine within his stomach. Subsequently, 91 capsules containing a total of 920 grammes of cocaine were recovered from his digestive tract. The accused has since been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
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Sources reveal that the accused had been instructed to deliver the seized cocaine to Delhi, suggesting the involvement of a larger narcotics trafficking network. This incident marks the third such case handled by the Bengaluru DRI since January 2023, reflecting the persistent efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat drug trafficking activities.

In a previous case, DRI officials intercepted 99 cocaine capsules weighing 2 kilograms from a Nigerian individual on December 11, 2023. Similarly, on April 28, 2023, a 40-year-old Nigerian national was arrested at KIA, and 1 kilogram of cocaine in capsule form was seized from him. These successive seizures underscore the ongoing challenges posed by drug trafficking networks operating through international airports.