Five-fold increase in the value of DRI’s contraband seizure last year

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized prohibited narcotics worth Rs 1265 crore in 2019-20 nationwide. The value of contraband seized between 2019-20 is more than five times compared to the corresponding amount in 2017-18.

In 2017-18, the agency had seized contraband worth Rs 223.59 crore, while the figure was worth Rs 369.84 in 2018-19, according to the agency.

DRI, which is mandated to counter organized crime groups involved in the smuggling of contraband goods, made major seizures during 2019-20, an agency source said. “In 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic In this situation, DRI agents worked tirelessly and made significant seizures, even at the risk of their own life, ”said the source.

Among the key cases of the agency’s narcotics seizures is the operation it carried out in August last year. DRI agents had intercepted a female passenger who had arrived on a flight from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to Mumbai International Airport. “Based on a reasonable suspicion that said woman was carrying a prohibited narcotic concealed in her body, a medical exam it was done on her, “said a source.

“The medical examination carried out indicated that there were foreign objects in her abdomen. During the period of her admission to the hospital from August 9, 2019 to August 13, said passenger purged 80 capsules containing cocaine.”

The 80 capsules recovered had produced 796 grams of cocaine.

In October last year, a DRI team had intercepted a vehicle on Bhandara Road in Nagpur. An examination of the truck resulted in the seizure of 1,020 packages of cannabis or ganja with a weight of 2,080 kilograms.