Customs Seizes 5.85 kg Cocaine at IGI International Airport on 6 April

· Swallowing Drug Packets is Preferred Method

· In past six months, Delhi Airport Customs seized 33.70 kg of Heroin and 12.60 kg Cocaine at IGI Airport

· 35 cases booked by Customs at IGI Airport, with street value of drug seized at Rs. 887.35 crore and 34 passengers arrested in 2021-22 alone

The Delhi Airport Customs seized 5.85 kg cocaine, the biggest at any airport in India, on 6^th April 2022 night at the IGI International Airport. The seizure last night by the Delhi Customs signifies the fight carried out by the Indian Customs against the menace of drugs.

In the past six months, Customs at the IGI Airport alone has booked no less than 16 cases under NDPS Act, the highest number at any airport in the Country. In the process, almost 33.70 kg of Heroin and 12.60 kg of Cocaine has been seized from International passengers, mostly nationals of African origin. For the entire 2021-22, 35 cases booked by Customs at IGI Airport, with a street value of drugs estimated at Rs. 887.35 crore. 34 passengers have also been arrested in the process.

Two distinct modus operandi have been observed in these seizures. Some of the passengers pack the drugs inside latex capsules, which are then swallowed by them in order to get past Customs officers easily at the Airport. Later, they eject these capsules after consuming laxatives, running a great risk to their own lives. This modus operandi is not only very difficult to detect, but also very difficult to retrieve. The suspected passengers need to be admitted to government hospitals, where the extraction is conducted under medical supervision. This process often takes 4 to 5 days, sometimes longer. Needless to add, these passengers are kept constantly under strict observation and guarded day-and-night by the Customs officers, at great risk to their own lives due to COVID-19 pandemic.

In the second method, the drug is concealed in specially made cavities in the hand-baggage or Checked-in baggage being carried by the passengers. Such cases are detected by the combined use of the Customs Canine Squad and High-resolution X-ray. Both these modus operandi have been detected at IGI Airport.