HYDERABAD: After a nationwide crackdown on heroin smugglers from African countries, the activity had stopped for a while, but the arrest of a Zambian woman by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Hyderabad Zonal Unit, on Monday indicates that the same gangs have become active again. The woman, who was on a business visa, is suspected to be a part of the international drug cartels operating from Africa. What is more worrying is that the drugs seized in these operations are in the purest form and of the highest quality, and thus, they can be diluted to more than 10 times, as per the local requirements.
Though it is suspected that she has connections with the suspects caught in June and their operators, the officials are trying to establish the links. Earlier in July, women belonging to African countries were caught with heroin at Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai and huge quantities of the contraband were seized.
The drug cartels, who have used the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India border for illegal transportation of drugs, could have taken the air route from Johannesburg via Doha to different Indian cities, due to the disruption of the network due to the pandemic, say officials.
Heroin is in high demand in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and other north Indian cities. In addition to the changed trafficking routes, the gangs could have chosen South Indian cities, to dodge the enforcement agencies. The drugs transported to south Indian cities would be transported to other parts of the country by a road route. Officials added that with repeated drug busts, they have increased surveillance at the airport and also on the local handlers suspected to be working for them.