Smuggler who swallowed kilo of cocaine pellets held at Delhi airport

Customs officials said the 28-year-old woman, a citizen of Uganda, was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where doctors carried out an “ejection procedure” and recovered 91 pellets containing 992 grams of cocaine.

The Delhi customs arrested a woman who smuggled in 91 pellets containing nearly one kilogram of cocaine by swallowing them before flying to India last week, officials aware of the development said on Wednesday.

In the last 12 months, at least 32 passengers have been caught at the airport with drugs. Customs officials said that the estimated market value of the drugs seized so far this year is around ₹845 crore. (Representational image)

Customs officials said the 28-year-old woman, a citizen of Uganda, was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where doctors carried out an “ejection procedure” and recovered 91 pellets containing 992 grams of cocaine.

In the last 12 months, at least 32 passengers have been caught at the airport with drugs. Customs officials said that the estimated market value of the drugs seized so far this year is around ₹845 crore.

A customs officer said that on December 25, the woman arrived at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport and was on her way to the green channel. “The body movement of the passenger was unusual and suspicious. One of our customs officers, out of sheer facilitation and goodwill, approached her and asked if she needed any help. The passenger not only refused to accept any help but also did not wish to engage in any conversation. It was suspicious. At the same time, she appeared to be uneasy and we found that suspicious too. Sensing the unusual behaviour of the passenger, the Customs officers kept an eye on her.”

“During questioning, the passenger revealed that she had swallowed 91 capsules of the narcotic substance. We admitted her to RML Hospital. The ejection procedure was carried out under expert medical supervision, which yielded the recovery of a total of 91 pellets in batches,” the officer added.

Customs officials said that it took more than two days at the hospital to get the pellets out of the woman’s body. During her time at the hospital, customs had placed security officials at the ward round-the-clock to ensure that she did not escape and her contacts did not meet her inside the facility.

The department has now filed a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act against the woman. The investigating officers are probing her contacts.