Bolivian national caught with cocaine worth ₹1.5 cr

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials have arrested a 55-year-old Bolivian woman for allegedly smuggling 312 grams of cocaine estimated to be worth

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials have arrested a 55-year-old Bolivian woman for allegedly smuggling 312 grams of cocaine estimated to be worth ₹1.5 crore. The drugs were tightly packed in 13 condoms and were consumed by the accused to conceal it.

HT Image

The Bolivian national, Ribera A Delicia, was intercepted at the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Monday after she arrived here from Addis Ababa.

Based on suspicion, she was sent to JJ Hospital for medical examination. “At the hospital, she ejected 13 tightly tied condoms stuffed with high-quality cocaine in liquid form. When these condoms were cut open, 312 grams of cocaine was recovered. She was placed under arrest on Friday after she was discharged,” said a DRI official.

“Smuggling cocaine in such a way is very dangerous. A few years ago, a Nigerian woman had died while smuggling cocaine in packets inside her body. Few packets got torn and she died of an overdose,” an officer said.

Delicia admitted to having smuggled the cocaine on the direction of a Nigerian national based in Brazil. “The Nigerian national had offered her money for the task. She was given an option of smuggling the drugs either to India or Macau. She was well aware that smuggling drugs is a criminal act,” a DRI source said.

On Friday a local court sent her to judicial custody. She has been charged under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.