Drug racket bust: DRI arrests three with heroin worth ₹2 crore in Mumbai

Mumbai zone officials of the Directorate of Revenue intelligence (DRI) have seized around 400 grams of heroin worth about ₹2 crore which was smuggled in India through a courier parcel from South Africa.

Mumbai zone officials of the Directorate of Revenue intelligence (DRI) have seized around 400 grams of heroin worth about ₹2 crore which was smuggled in India through a courier parcel from South Africa. DRI arrested three people, including two Nigerian nationals, in a well-coordinated seven-day operation called ‘Operation Kruger’.

The parcel contained women’s gowns and the drugs were hidden in buttons attached to gowns. (HT File)

A senior DRI official said they intercepted a parcel that had arrived from South Africa to the hub of an international courier company in Mumbai on the basis of a specific input, and examined the same. The parcel contained women’s gowns and the drugs were hidden in buttons attached to gowns.

Officials noticed the abnormally large number of buttons sewn to the gowns. Upon further examination, they found around 396 grams of heroin hidden inside the buttons.

DRI officials then seized the contraband material under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

In a bid to nab narcotics racket members linked to the seized heroin, DRI officials obtained authorisation for a controlled delivery from the director general of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on November 26.

A team of DRI officials then went with the courier company’s vehicle and managed to nab the Indian national who came to accept the delivery. He revealed the details of the Nigerian national who was set to receive drugs from him. Following the information, the foreigner was nabbed.

During questioning, the Nigerian national revealed details of one of his associates who is also a Nigerian national. DRI officials have also arrested the associate on Friday from Taloja.

All the three arrested accused have been booked under relevant sections of the NDPS Act and have been sent to judicial custody by a city court.

DRI officials said Operation Kruger was the fourth major drug bust of DRI Mumbai in the span of 10 days and is expected to cause major disruptions in the city’s drug supply chain which has deep transcontinental links extending to Africa and America.