Cocaine worth Rs 11.57 crore seized at RGIA, Tanzanian national held

Hyderabad: A Tanzanian national, who allegedly swallowed 79 cocaine capsules in a bid to smuggle the drug into the country was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on Tuesday.

Officials seized 1157 grams of cocaine, valued at Rs.11.57 crore, from the 44-year-old man, who arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport from Johannesburg via Dubai on an Emirates flight on April 21.

“When questioned, he revealed that he had ingested capsules containing cocaine. At the airport, he purged 22 capsules and as he needed medical attention, was admitted to a hospital immediately. Under medical supervision over five days, he purged out 57 more capsules,” DRI officials said.

On interrogation, the suspect said he travelled to Johannesburg from Tanzania early in April. “He was taken to Pretoria where he swallowed these capsules prior to his journey to India. He was supposed to purge them over a period of three to four days after landing in India and hand them over to another person. Based on a tip-off, he was caught,” officials said.

The capsules were cut open and the cocaine seized. Further investigation is in progress.