Mumbai Crime: Officials seize drugs from two flyers in one day

Customs officials remove cocaine from the cavities of buttons

Customs officials have seized drugs worth Rs 47 crore from the Mumbai international airport in two separate operations on Thursday. In the first case, heroin worth Rs 31 crore was recovered from document folders while in the second case, the officials seized cocaine concealed in buttons of kurtas and bags which was valued at Rs 16 crore. Two men have been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.

The accused in the first case took a Kenya Airways flight from Johannesburg via Nairobi to Mumbai. A customs official said, "The passenger was followed right from the flight and intercepted after he had crossed the green channel. He was found carrying 4,470 grams of heroin concealed in 12 document folders. Thin layers of heroin packed in polythene covers were placed inside these folder covers." The market value of the seized drugs is approximately Rs 31.29 crore.

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In the second case, the passenger landed at Mumbai by Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa. He was intercepted while scanning the luggage at green channel. The officials in charge of overseeing the luggage scan detected suspicious images with green tinge in the buttons. "The buttons appeared to be excessive in number and were placed unusually close to each other. As this roused suspicion, the passenger was diverted for detailed baggage check. He was found to be carrying 1,596 grams of cocaine valued at approximately Rs 15.96 crore," officials added. They added that the contraband was concealed in the buttons by creating false cavities.

Rs 47cr
Value of the seized drugs