Officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have arrested a man with 16 kilograms of heroin — valued at Rs 112 crore — from Bengaluru railway station. Officials say the man had concealed the drugs in a false cavity inside his suitcase, a trolley bag. The man had arrived in Bengaluru from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and had boarded the train travelling to Delhi, when he was intercepted by DRI officials. It has been reported that the man managed to evade checks and customs when he landed at Bengaluru airport from Ethiopia.
Reports say that the man, who lives somewhere around the Karnataka-Kerala border, had customised his suitcase to add a false cavity into it. The man is believed to be a 35-year-old from Tamil Nadu. The drug was packed in two 8-kg pouches and concealed inside his suitcase. It is believed that he smuggled in the drug from Ethiopia and was on his way to Delhi to distribute it there.
In a press release dated August 3, the DRI said that the man has been arrested and further investigations are underway.
The release also added that in 2021-22, the DRI has seized 3,463 kg of heroin, 208 kg of pseudoephedrine and 321 kg of cocaine, together valued at almost Rs 19,800 crore in the international illicit market.
A few days ago, the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) had carried out an operation in Marathalli and Whitefield and seized narcotic substances worth Rs 2 crore and arrested five persons from Delhi and Bihar. MDMA crystals, MDMA ecstasy pills, LSD strips, cocaine, hashish oil, charas and ganja were also seized from the accused.
According to the CCB, the gang used Indian postal services and delivery apps like Dunzo and Porter to deliver the drugs. Officials added that the peddlers, who were based out of Delhi, would buy the drugs using cryptocurrency from international and local sellers via the dark web.