HYDERABAD: In one of the biggest hauls of narcotic substances in recent years at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested two African women and seized 12kg heroin valued at Rs 78 crore from them.
Acting on an input, the DRI team intercepted a woman passenger from Uganda, who arrived from Zimbabwe via Doha on Saturday.
“The woman came back to the airport on Saturday to pick up her missing luggage and we found four kilos of heroin neatly stuffed in duct-taped packets between specially made walls in the suitcase,” a DRI official said.
Aother woman peddler who arrived with a consignment of heroin was Intercepted on Sunday at the airport by the DRI.
“The second accused was identified as Makumba Carol from Zambia.
She arrived from Johannesburg via Doha in Qatar Airways flight QR500 at 2.30am on Sunday,” said a DRI official.
Carol opted for a green channel, and during the baggage screening, the DRI team noticed suspicious material in her trolley bag.
“Off-white powder was concealed inside the drum of plastic pipe roll carried in her checked-in baggage.
We retrieved eight kilos of the powder from the drum.
Chemical test confirmed it was heroin,” a DRI team member said.
DRI officials said that this is the first time such a significant quantity of heroin was seized in Hyderabad from foreign peddlers.
“Heroin is highly addictive.
Abusers inject, snort or smoke heroin.
Addicts who regularly use heroin often develop a tolerance, needing higher and more frequent doses of the drug to get the desired effects,” he said.
The peddlers were arrested under the provisions of NDPS Act 1985, officials said.