Tins of cheese filled with heroin were picked up by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials at the international airport on Thursday.
Tins of cheese filled with heroin were picked up by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials at the international airport on Thursday morning, following a tip off. Lillian Banda, a Zambian national, was arrested for possession of 8.225 kg of heroin, worth over Rs 8 crore in the international market, cleverly concealed in factory sealed tins of cheese, salami and other popular Indian food products.
A DRI official said, “The cans were factory sealed within India. That allowed for proficient concealment of the drugs. We caught the consignment only because we had specific information.”
The 30 year old Zambian drug courier’s passport lists her status as a student, but it was issued four years ago.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the heroin may have been originally procured from Pakistan, where it would cost around Rs 8 lakh, before being smuggled into India. The consignment was intended for the US or a European destination through the African route.
The accused was booked on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Mumbai to Addis Ababa. She was intercepted in the departure area of terminal 2 C at 1 am on Thursday morning. She had travelled into Mumbai via New Delhi.
“This is the first time this year that the DRI has intercepted a drug consignment being couriered through this particular airline. Investigations are also focusing on the factory where the drugs were so neatly packed and sealed into these tins,” the DRI official said.
The consignment has been seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985.
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