Passenger arrested with 'cocaine' at Mumbai international airport

An statement from DRI read that substance was tested with a narcotics field testing kit and that it was tested positive for "cocaine"

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said that it has arrested an Indian national who arrived from Addis Ababa via Ethiopian Airlines with narcotic substances worth Rs 33.60 crore in an international market. With the arrest of the accused, the DRI has busted a new concealment method for drugs at the airport.

According to DRI, based on specific intelligence cultivated by DRI Mumbai, it was indicated that an Indian national coming to Mumbai from from Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-640 on February 1 might be carrying a narcotic substance. "On examination of his luggage, 16 small soap boxes were recovered. Following thorough examination of the soap boxes, officers observed that something was concealed under the wax-like layer of the soaps. The officers removed the outer wax layer and found a soap bar wrapped in transparent plastic," said a DRI officer. "The officers scratched the soap cake, and a powdery substance was found concealed."

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An statement from DRI read that substance was tested with a narcotics field testing kit and that it was tested positive for "cocaine".

The net weight of the recovered substance is 3360 grams, valued at approximately Rs 33.60 crore in the illicit market.

"This is another novel concealment method busted by officers of DRI Mumbai, wherein cocaine was found concealed inside soap cakes. The passenger has been apprehended and is being interrogated for the intended beneficiary in India," DRI further said in a statement.