Mumbai Customs officers arrest 38-year-old foreign national for importing drugs to India

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The Special Postal Investigation Branch (SPIB) of Mumbai Customs has arrested a 38-year-old German national for allegedly importing cocaine and marijuana through an international parcel. The accused has been identified as Alexander Gregor Russer, an IT professional residing in Goa.

According to customs officers, on October 3, SPIB intercepted a suspicious parcel that arrived at the Foreign Post Office (FPO) in India. Upon inspection, the parcel was found containing 20 grams of cocaine and 99 grams of marijuana. The parcel was addressed to a person named Alexander Russer and was scheduled to be delivered near Anjuna Beach, Goa.

After receiving this information, SPIB, with the approval of the Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), created a dummy parcel under section 50A (power to undertake controlled delivery) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. This controlled delivery was executed on October 18 and the dummy parcel was delivered to Russer on the address mentioned in the parcel by a postman on Tuesday, after verifying his passport.

During a subsequent search of Russer's residence, officers recovered a dark brown substance resembling hashish from the dining table and more brown-colored substance from the accused himself. During questioning, Russer admitted to consuming hashish once or twice a week.

He was arrested under the relevant sections of the NDPS Act and produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate (Esplanade Court) in Mumbai on Thursday. The court remanded him to 14-day judicial custody.

The accused's lawyer, Alisha Parekh, told mid-day that the parcel does not belong to her client and was likely sent by someone else to frame him. "My client did not order any such parcel," she stated.