Representational image for arrest.
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Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested a Sierra Leone national who was trying to smuggle cocaine worth Rs 11 crore concealed in 74 capsules in his stomach, an official said on Sunday.
The drug capsules, weighing 1,108 grams, were recovered from the body of the passenger by doctors at the state-run J J hospital on Saturday, an official said.
Based on specific information, the Sierra Leone national was apprehended by a team of DRI at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) after his arrival in the city on March 28, the anti-smuggling agency said in a statement.
During questioning, the man told DRI officials that he had ingested cocaine capsules in his attempt to sneak in the banned narcotic substance to India.
He was then admitted to JJ hospital after obtaining a court order. A team of doctors removed 74 cocaine capsules from his abdomen, the official said.
The man was later arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and sent to judicial custody, the statement said.
This is the second case in a week involving a Sierra Leone national held with cocaine at the Mumbai airport.
On March 24, a woman from the African nation was arrested with 1,979 grams of cocaine valued at Rs 19.79 crore. She had concealed the drug in shoes, moisturizer and shampoo bottles and antiperspirants.