Continuing its crackdown on the trafficking in narcotic drugs, officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) unearthed an international syndicate and seized 1.59 kg (gross wt.) cocaine, valued at about Rs 15 crore here on Friday.
The syndicate was engaged in smuggling of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) into India from Africa via the Indo-Nepal border, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday.
Acting on specific intelligence, an Indian national, who arrived in the morning of 22 March from Raxaul, Bihar, in a train at Anand Vihar Railway Station, Delhi, was intercepted and 92 pale yellow capsules containing white powdery substance were recovered.
The sample test conducted using NDPS Field Testing Kit confirmed the presence of cocaine in the recovered substance.
Further inquiries revealed that the consignment was to be delivered to a person at Dwarka, New Delhi. A swift follow-up action resulted in interception of one Nigerian national, who came on a Scooty to take delivery of the NDPS at Dwarka, New Delhi.
In the instant case, the syndicate used to smuggle the contraband from African countries directly or via Dubai to Kathmandu, Nepal, via Air Route by concealing them in Trolley Bags or by ingesting capsules in body.
The syndicate then used Indian nationals, who flew from New Delhi to Kathmandu to collect the contraband from a pre-determined place, including hotels in Kathmandu and smuggle the same across the Indo-Nepal border. The carrier would then take the consignment to New Delhi by road or train.
The recovered cocaine concealed in 92 capsules weighing 1.59 kg (gross wt.), valued at about Rs 15 crore, was seized and both the carrier and the recipient were arrested in accordance with the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.