DRI seizes cocaine worth Rs 20 crore at Chennai airport, second major haul in September

CHENNAI: In a major haul, the second such in this month itself, sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday seized cocaine worth Rs 20 crore and nabbed a 28-year-old man from Kenya who landed at Chennai International Airport from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital that has gotten considerable infamy as a narcotic transit point.

Interestingly, the modus operandi that the man followed was the same as the previous case, wherein the drug mule had concealed the cocaine consignment in chocolate wrappers.

According to officials, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence received a tip-off that cocaine in huge quantities was being smuggled to Chennai from Addis Ababa. Based on the alert, DRI officials came to the city airport in the early hours of Tuesday and began monitoring the passengers who arrived on a flight from Addis Ababa.

They spotted the Kenyan national who acted suspiciously and intercepted him. When they took him for questioning, the youth was evasive in his replies, which heightened their suspicion. They then decided to conduct a thorough search of his belongings and person. Inside the bags that he was carrying were several packets of a world-famous chocolate. When they opened the packets, DRI officials found not the chocolate but a white powder, which was later tested as cocaine.

In all, there were 2 kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth Rs 20 crore, in those wrappers, officials said. The Kenyan was immediately placed under arrest and was taken to the DRI office in Chennai for detailed questioning.

In the earlier seizure on September 1, a joint team of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officials of Customs and Narcotics Control Bureau had seized 5.61 kg of high-purity cocaine, valued at approximately Rs 60 crore, and arrested four people.

Among the arrested were Himanshu Shah (25) of Uttarakhand and Sahil l Attri (26) of Himachal Pradesh, who had travelled to an African country on a tourist visa. On the return trip, they chose to disembark in Chennai instead of taking a direct flight to Delhi or Mumbai.

During interrogation, Himanshu and Sahil said they were hired to collect the drug-filled parcels in Africa and deliver them to a person waiting at the Chennai airport, and collect payment.

The officials scanned CCTV footage from the arrival area and found a Nigerian national and another man. Seeing the two couriers being questioned by officials, the Nigerian national rushed to the domestic terminal and boarded a flight to Delhi, only to be arrested in Delhi.