In a planned operation codenamed ‘Kruger’, which lasted for over seven days, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai has busted an inter-continental racket of drug smuggling and seized 396 grams of Heroin. The seized drug was sent to Mumbai in a courier consignment from South Africa and was well concealed in buttons sewn into women’s gowns.
Acting on an intelligence tip-off, officials of DRI Mumbai intercepted a parcel which had arrived from South Africa to a hub of a Mumbai-based international courier company. During the examination, the officials noticed an abnormally large number of buttons sewn on to each gown in the parcel.
“After examination of the parcel, we found Heroin ingeniously hidden inside the buttons of the gowns. We then retrieved the white powder from the buttons and it resulted in the seizure of 396 grams of Heroin,” a source from Mumbai DRI told CNN-News18.
Thereafter, an authorisation for controlled delivery was obtained from DG NCB, following which on Thursday, the recipient of the courier parcel paid the applicable customs duty and delivery was attempted.
Later, a team of DRI officers went along with the vehicle of the courier company and managed to nab an Indian national who had came to take delivery of the parcel from the courier person. Thereafter, on the same night, the DRI team managed to identify a Nigerian national, who was to receive the consignment from the Indian national. After prolonged operation, as the Nigerian kept changing the delivery spot, the DRI officers were able to nab him.
Thereafter, during the course of sustained interrogation, the details of another Nigerian person who happened to be a key member of the syndicate was revealed, who was later nabbed from Taloja, a town near Mumbai on November 27.
“Subsequently, he was arrested for his alleged role in carrying out the drug smuggling activities. A total of three arrests have been made in this case so far. All the arrested individuals were produced in the Sessions Court, Mumbai and have been remanded to judicial custody,” said an officer on condition of anonymity.
Coming close on the heels of ‘Operation Calypso’, ‘Operation Kruger’ was the fourth major drug bust by DRI Mumbai in the span of just 10 days, and is expected to cause major disruptions in the supply chain of drug mafia in Mumbai city, with deep transcontinental linkages extending to the Africa and America.
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