BENGALURU: Within a span of three weeks, the Bengaluru unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has effected its second biggest seizure of heroin in the State – 14 kilograms of the narcotic substance valued at nearly Rs 100 crore in the market. The seizure was made recently from the baggage of a Telangana native, who reached the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) from Ethiopia.
The seizure made on August 19 has just come to light. Reliable sources told TNIE, “Based on specific intelligence inputs, we intercepted a 45-year-old passenger who reached Bengaluru from Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Airlines. Detailed scrutiny of his baggage revealed that he had hidden the substance wrapped in black by creating false bottoms in them.“
The flyer was being used as a carrier by drug smugglers, a source said. “He was planning to smuggle them on a flight to Delhi to be handed over to a receiver there when we intercepted him before he could book his ticket at KIA,” he said.
The carrier was unemployed at his hometown and managed to reach Ethiopia with hopes of finding employment. “He was unable to find work when he was enticed with the prospect of earning good money by just handing over the stuff to people in Delhi. The heroin seized is raw and of very high quality. It is mixed with talcum or chalk powder before being sold to users for consumption,” a source said. He has been booked under the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Further investigations are on, he added.
The biggest ever seizure by DRI was on August 1 at KSR Bengaluru railway station when it seized heroin worth Rs 112 crore smuggled from Ethiopia. “Smuggling of heroin to India is on the rise. Within the last one month, we have booked 8 cases in Bengaluru which involved addictive substances worth over Rs 280 crore,” another source said. In addition, the City’s DRI has facilitated seizure of heroin at Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai by providing tip-offs, he added.