Chennai: 10kg heroin worth Rs 70cr seized from international passengers arrived for treatment

File Photo

Chennai: Chennai airport customs officials on Friday (June 4) seized 10kg heroin worth Rs 70 crore from two international passengers who allegedly came to India for medical treatment.

Acting on specific information pertaining to narcotics smuggling, Air Customs Officials at the airport maintained intercepted two young African lady passengers who arrived in the city by Qatar Airways flight from Johannesburg via Doha.

According to officials, one of the women was seen using a wheelchair but appeared physically fit. Based on suspicion, the lady was questioned, after which she became nervous and gave evasive replies. The checked-in trolley cases of the women were examined.

On examination, their trolley cases were found to have a layer concealed in the shell of the box. Eight plastic packets were concealed in the layer. The packets were sprinkled with some spicy powders to mask the smell. White coarse powder was found inside the packets.

The powder tested positive for heroin with drug testing kit. A total of 9.87 kg of white coarse powder suspected to be heroin, approximately valued at Rs 70 crores in the international market, was recovered and seized under NDPS Act. Both passengers were arrested.

Further questioning revealed that the lady passenger from Zimbabwe was travelling to India for medical treatment at a private Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi. Her attendant, a resident of Cape Town, South Africa was accompanying her.