Customs dept seized drugs worth ₹75 crore, smuggled gold of ₹42 crore in Jan

Mumbai: In three different cases, the Mumbai Customs department seized over 4

Mumbai: In three different cases, the Mumbai Customs department seized over 4.40 kg of heroin and 4.5 kg of cocaine worth around ₹75.20 crore in January this year. In addition to seizing narcotic drugs, the officials also confiscated smuggled gold worth around ₹42 crore and ₹3.47 crore of foreign currencies.

The anti-smuggling department seized around 81 kilograms of smuggled gold worth around ₹42 crore last month. The gold was being smuggled using different modes of ingenious concealments such as in body cavities, slippers, buckles of worn belt, trolley bags etc, said the source. (HT Photo)

Customs sources said this is for the first time that they are witnessing such a huge seizure of drugs, gold and foreign currency together in just a month.

The department officials have attributed the significant seizures of all three smuggled items together in just a month to strict and enhanced vigilance by the customs department at the Mumbai international airport.

According to sources, drug cartels are now finding new and clever ways to smuggle narcotics and psychotropic substances across countries. However, customs officials managed to successfully foil their plans several times and exposed their modus operandi.

“Last month, drugs were smuggled by carriers in document folders, cloth buttons and in false cavities of duffle bags,” said a customs source.

Early this year, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Mumbai Customs arrested a Hyderabad resident for allegedly smuggling in 4.5kg of heroin worth ₹22 crore via air route. He claimed to have taken the parcel from a person in Johannesburg and was supposed to deliver it to a foreign national in Delhi. Similarly, a day later, Customs officials arrested a flyer at the Mumbai international airport and seized cocaine worth around ₹16 crore from him. The cocaine was concealed in cloth buttons the passenger was carrying while flying from Addis Ababa to Mumbai.

The Mumbai Customs also made significant seizures in gold smuggling cases. The anti-smuggling department seized around 81 kilograms of smuggled gold worth around ₹42 crore last month. The gold was being smuggled using different modes of ingenious concealments such as in body cavities, slippers, buckles of worn belt, trolley bags etc, said the source.

Besides this, in eight cases, ₹3.47 crore worth of foreign currency was also seized from passengers at the airport. The seized currencies mainly comprised 2.36 lakh US dollars, 38,000 Pound Sterlings, 4.55 lakh UAE Dirham and 40,000 Saudi Riyals.

“The currency was being smuggled using novel modes of concealment such as in hiding them in the pages of books and the false cavity of cardboard boxes being used for carrying fruits,” said a source.