BENGALURU: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Bengaluru zone, on January 15 intercepted a Kenyan woman (36) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and seized 2.56kg cocaine from her checked-in baggage. The value of seized cocaine is around Rs 26 crore in the international underground market.
According to informed sources, the DRI, on credible inputs, intercepted the woman at KIA as she was about to board an Indigo flight to Delhi. On inspection of her checked-in baggage, the DRI found 2.56kg of cocaine packed and concealed in the false bottom of her suitcase. She was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and produced before court. She was remanded in judicial custody.
“The accused had arrived in Bengaluru on January 13 from Mumbai and was travelling to Delhi when she was arrested. She had arrived in Mumbai from Kenya in August last year. It is not clear whether she was handed over the contraband narcotic drug in Bengaluru or she had brought it from Kenya or Mumbai,” added sources.
On December 11, 2023, DRI, Bengaluru, had seized 99 capsules of cocaine weighing 2kg from a ‘body packer’ -- a Nigerian national who had ingested the contraband drug for ‘safe passage’. Cocaine is priced between Rs 11 crore and Rs 12 crore per kg in the underground market.
It is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant, which remains the largest producer of cocaine. According to research, cocaine “increases levels of the natural chemical messenger dopamine in brain circuits related to the control of movement and reward. As cocaine abuse continues, tolerance often develops. This means that higher doses and more frequent use of cocaine are required for the brain to register the same level of pleasure experienced during initial use”. Cocaine is banned under the NDPS Act.