India

DRI seizes Rs 26.5 crore worth Cocaine imported from Brazil hidden in thermocol balls

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has detected a novel modus operandi of smuggling of narcotics (Cocaine) into India via the courier route, concealed in thermocol balls, which were made to appear as though they were being used to cushion the declared goods.

Based on specific intelligence developed by DRI, an import courier consignment was intercepted and examined by the DRI officers at New Courier Terminal, New Delhi, which resulted in the recovery of 1922 gm of Cocaine, having street value in the illicit market of Rs 26.5 crore.

The courier consignment arrived in two boxes from Sao Paulo, Brazil and was declared to contain “Table Center (decorative object)”. Prima facie examination of the consignment revealed that the two boxes contained one crystal glassware decorative bowl each, along with thousands of thermocol balls of around two cm diameter, to cushion the glassware against any damage.

A careful examination of the thermocol balls, however, suggested that some of the balls were slightly heavier (1-2 gm only) than the rest. Accordingly, as per the weight, heavier thermocol balls were segregated, which were around 10% of the total thermocol balls. The 972 heavier thermocol balls, on being cut open, were found to conceal smaller balls of white powder, covered by transparent extra thin polythene.

IN Bureau

Recent Posts

Taiwan faces almost 1 million monthly cyber attacks from China

Chinese hackers launch an average of 900,000 attacks on Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (LY) each month,…

30 minutes ago

Foreign Secy reaffirms deepening of India-Mauritius ties during visit to the nation

Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, paid his first official visit to Mauritius on December 20-22. The…

51 minutes ago

PM Modi meets President of Kuwait Heritage Society, praises works of preserving India-Kuwaiti artefacts

Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said that Prime Minister Narendra…

58 minutes ago

EAM Jaishankar honoured with Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award for public leadership

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was awarded the Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award for…

19 hours ago

PM Modi interacts with Indian workers at Gulf Spic Labour Camp in Kuwait

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the Gulf Spic Labour Camp in Kuwait, where…

20 hours ago

INS Tushil makes first port call to London on maiden deployment

INS Tushil made its first port call to London as a part of its maiden…

20 hours ago