New Delhi, Dec 29 (PTI) Customs officers at the IGI Airport on Wednesday arrested a Ugandan passenger who had ingested 1 kg cocaine as pellets, unravelling yet another case of cocaine smuggling, the finance ministry said.
The Ugandan passenger, who arrived at Terminal-3, IGIA, a few days ago, had uneasy body movements and unusual behaviour that raised suspicion of customs officers who maintained a vigil on her.
As the passenger crossed the green channel and was approaching the exit gate of the airport, customs officers finally intercepted the passenger and upon questioning, she finally divulged that she had swallowed 91 capsules of narcotic substance.
Giving details of the arrest, the ministry said the passenger was admitted to a hospital, where X-ray scanning revealed that the colon was filled with oval pellets.
“Under expert medical supervision, an ejection procedure was carried out and it yielded a total recovery of 91 pellets in batches. The entire ejection process lasted over several days… These 91 pellets in turn yielded 992 grams of white powdery substance. Diagnostic test revealed the substance to contain cocaine,” the ministry said.
Since the passenger has violated various provisions of the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, 1985, she was arrested by Customs officials on December 29, and further investigation in the matter is under process.
This is the second big detection of cocaine at IGI Airport in this month. Earlier, 2,838 grams of cocaine was recovered from a Nigerian lady on December 9 who had arrived at New Delhi from Lagos via Dubai.
“Customs officers at IGIA have achieved considerable success against drug smuggling menace. This is the 24th case of seizure of NDPS covered drugs at the airport this year. 32 Pax(s) have been arrested so far. The estimated value of drug seizures would go into more than Rs 845 crore,” the ministry added. PTI JD HRS hrs
