DRI seizes 22 kg cocaine worth several crores from passenger arriving from Sierra Leone

New Delhi: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 22 kg of cocaine from a foreign woman passenger arriving in New Delhi from Sierra Leone, exposing an alleged attempt to smuggle narcotics using forged diplomatic credentials.

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The passenger, who claimed to be a diplomatic courier, was carrying a briefcase-type box marked "Diplomatic Mail" and "Do Not Open Without Authority". She also produced documents purportedly identifying the consignment as belonging to a United Nations diplomatic courier.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, DRI officers examined the consignment in accordance with prescribed procedures and recovered 22 packets of a white, brick-shaped substance concealed under multiple layers of plastic wrapping.

Field tests confirmed the substance to be cocaine. The total net weight of the seized narcotics was 22 kg, with an estimated value of several crores of rupees in the illicit international market.

The contraband was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The passenger was arrested under the Act and subsequently produced before the competent court.

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According to the DRI, the case highlights attempts by international drug trafficking networks to exploit diplomatic privileges and institutional credentials to evade security checks and facilitate illicit narcotics trade.

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