Mumbai: 400gm of drugs hidden in buttons, DRI nabs 3

MUMBAI: Continuing its drive against international drug smuggling Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted another racket. In a well-planned DRI operation codenamed ‘Kruger’ over seven days, DRI seized nearly 400gm of heroin concealed in buttons sewn into women’s gowns sent by courier from South Africa to Mumbai on Friday.
DRI on Tuesday arrested a national of Republic of Guinea with around 3kg of cocaine worth Rs 18 crore at Mumbai international airport.
Acting on a tip-off, DRI Mumbai officials intercepted a parcel that had arrived from South Africa to the hub of an international courier company here. DRI officials noticed an abnormally large number of buttons sewn onto each gown in the parcel. On detailed examination, they found heroin hidden inside the buttons. Painstaking retrieval of the white powder resulted in seizure of 396gm of heroin under provisions of NDPS Act, 1985.
A recipient of the parcel paid Customs duty and controlled delivery was attempted. “After extensive preparations, DRI officers went along with courier company vehicle and nabbed the Indian who was to take delivery of the parcel that evening,” said an official.
The team identified a Nigerian who was to receive the consignment from the Indian. The Nigerian kept changing the delivery address, but DRI officers nabbed him finally.
Details of another Nigerian, a key member of the syndicate, were revealed following interrogation. He was then nabbed from Taloja in Navi Mumbai.
All three arrested were remanded to judicial custody by a sessions court here.
This is the fourth drug haul by DRI recently. DRI on Wednesday had arrested a national of Republic of Guinea and seized three kg of cocaine worth Rs 18 crore at the international airport. On Tuesday, DRI seized 1.1kg cocaine from a Malawi woman. On November 19, DRI had arrested four persons, including two Nigerians, and recovered 500gm of cocaine from them. The cocaine was concealed in a steam iron and couriered from Trinidad and Tobago “The total quantity of cocaine seized by DRI in the last 10 days is around 4.6kg, having a value of Rs 27 crore in the illicit market,” an official said.