Zambian woman with party drug worth Rs6 crore arrested at IGI

A Zambian woman was on Tuesday arrested for allegedly smuggling narcotics worth over Rs six crore at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here. Acting on intelligence inputs, 32-year-old Emely Chilonga Chibuye was intercepted near the check-in counter of the departure hall and was interrogated, which resulted in the recovery of Ephedrine Pseudoephedrine, a controlled substance under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

"The recovered substance in the form of powder weighed 41.5kg, whose approximate international market price is Rs6.22 crore," an official release said. An anti-depressant, ephedrine pseudoephedrine is a commonly abused as party drug.

According to officials, Emely had come from Adis Ababa on tourist visa. Emely, who claims to work as a beautician in that country, told the interrogators that she was to hand over the stock to her Indian associate here, officials said. Search is on to trace her accomplice, they added.