Mumbai: Cocaine worth Rs 20 crore meant for festive season seized by NCB, two foreign national women held

The seized cocaine was concealed in shoes and purses. Pic/ NCB

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has successfully busted an international drug trafficking syndicate and has seized a consignment of cocaine worth Rs 20 crore, the officials said. The NCB also arrested two foreign nationals from Mumbai, they said.

According to an official statement issued by the NCB, Mumbai, In its ongoing heightened operations, information about supply of consignment of drugs to Mumbai by an international syndicate was gathered by NCB-Mumbai. Accordingly, the officers of NCB-Mumbai worked out and after diligent analysis, an actionable input was generated wherein a South African lady named Marinda S. was identified. Immediately, sources were contacted after which it was analysed that the carrier was to air travel from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Mumbai on November 20.

It said, The NCB-Mumbai officials immediately moved to Mumbai International Airport and set up a layout to apprehend the woman. A search in accordance of legal procedure led to a recovery of 2.8 kg of fine quality cocaine from her belongings which were meticulously concealed among unsuspecting ite The contraband in 8 packets of different sizes was concealed in 2 pair of shoes and 2 purses in a crafted special cavities.

The NCB further said, "During the course of interrogation, she revealed that she was to deliver the consignment to a person in a hotel located at Andheri. Immediately, a team reached the hotel and mounted a discreet surveillance. In a while, a woman of African origin arrived and waited in the area with suspicious movement. As the lady was about to leave, she was intercepted and questioned."

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The woman, H. Musa, a Nigerian national, could not reply satisfactorily to the questions of the officials. Upon strict questioning, she confessed that she was to receive the consignment from the South African national, Marinda S. and further distribute it in Mumbai, the NCB said.

Corroborative evidences with incriminating data were recovered from the ladies which indicate their alleged association with the international drug trafficking syndicate, it said.

The agency said that it has been learnt that the drug was sourced from South America which is hotbed for the illicit production of cocaine. The seizure of the consignment is a notable achievement as the local drug trafficking circuits are interested to supply the party drugs for the forthcoming festive season in Mumbai, Goa and nearby areas. The apprehended woman are being interrogated to gather further details about the local peddlers and the kingpins based in offshore countries.