Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers seized 4.9kg of suspected cocaine, valued at an estimated ₹24.5 crore, at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on September 29. The drug was concealed in chocolate tubes in a passenger’s baggage.
The DRI’s Hyderabad Zonal Unit acted on specific intelligence about an Indian passenger arriving from Doha, Qatar. Officers intercepted him at the airport and examined his cabin baggage.
During the check, officers found seven tubes of Lindt Lindor Assorted Filled Dark Chocolate Selection, each marked as weighing 387 grams. The tubes felt heavier than their stated weight, prompting officers to open and inspect them.
The examination uncovered 207 light-yellow, oval-shaped capsules hidden with the chocolates. Each capsule contained a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine using a Narcotic Drug Detection Kit, according to the DRI. The total gross weight of the recovered substance was 4.9kg.
The DRI seized the cocaine and arrested the passenger under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Further investigation is in progress.
