DRI seizes 2.25 kg cocaine worth ₹11.25 crore at Mumbai airport, four arrested
Synopsis
Two DRI operations at Mumbai's CSMI Airport — on May 19 and May 22 — netted 2.25 kg of cocaine worth ₹11.25 crore, all concealed inside the bodies of four foreign nationals who had flown in from Addis Ababa. The back-to-back busts spotlight a growing body-packing pipeline on the Africa-India air route and a DRI that is clearly acting on sharper intelligence.
Key Takeaways
The DRI Mumbai Zonal Unit seized 2.25 kg of cocaine worth ₹11.25 crore in two separate operations at CSMI Airport, Mumbai .
First operation on 19 May yielded 63 capsules containing 850 grams of cocaine (worth ₹4.25 crore ) from two African nationals.
Second operation on 22 May recovered 84 capsules containing 1.40 kg of cocaine (worth ₹7 crore ) from two more passengers.
All four suspects had arrived from Addis Ababa and admitted to ingesting drug-filled capsules for smuggling.
Contraband seized under the NDPS Act, 1985 ; investigation into the wider smuggling network is ongoing.
Separately, DRI seized around 60,000 kg of smuggled areca nuts in Assam and Mizoram , arresting five people.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai Zonal Unit, has seized 2.25 kg of cocaine valued at approximately ₹11.25 crore in the illicit market through two separate operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (CSMI) Airport, Mumbai. Four foreign nationals who had concealed the narcotic substances inside their bodies were arrested in connection with the cases, officials confirmed.
Operation One: May 22 Intercept
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, DRI officers on 22 May intercepted one female and one male passenger who had arrived at CSMI Airport from Addis Ababa. During sustained interrogation, both passengers admitted to having ingested capsules containing narcotic substances for smuggling purposes.
The two were subsequently admitted to a nearby government hospital, where authorities recovered a total of 84 capsules containing 1.40 kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth nearly ₹7 crore in the illegal market.
Operation Two: May 19 Seizure
In an earlier operation on 19 May, DRI officers intercepted one African male passenger and one African female passenger upon their arrival at Mumbai airport, also from Addis Ababa. Both passengers confessed during questioning to having swallowed capsules containing narcotic drugs.
They were admitted to a nearby government hospital, where officials recovered 63 capsules containing 850 grams of cocaine, valued at around ₹4.25 crore in the illegal market.
Legal Action and Ongoing Investigation
The seized contraband has been confiscated under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. All four accused have been formally arrested, and a wider investigation into the drug smuggling network is currently underway, according to officials.
This method of concealment — known as internal or body-packing — is a well-documented international drug trafficking technique and poses significant health risks to carriers. The Addis Ababa route has drawn heightened scrutiny from Indian enforcement agencies in recent months as a conduit for cocaine entering the country.
Separate DRI Action in Northeast India
In a separate operation also conducted on 22 May, the DRI's Guwahati Zonal Unit, assisted by the 38 Battalion of Assam Rifles, seized approximately 60,000 kg of smuggled foreign-origin areca nuts (betel nuts) in the northeastern states of Assam and Mizoram. Initial investigations indicate the Myanmarese areca nuts were smuggled into India through the Myanmar-Mizoram border. Five people have been arrested in connection with those operations.
The back-to-back enforcement actions signal an intensified push by the DRI across multiple smuggling corridors — from narcotics entering through international airports to contraband agricultural goods moving across land borders.
Point of View
Same origin city, same concealment method — this is not coincidence, it is a pattern. The Addis Ababa corridor is clearly being used as a cocaine transit point into India, and the DRI appears to be working from live intelligence rather than routine profiling. What remains unanswered is the demand side: who is absorbing ₹11.25 crore worth of cocaine in India's illicit market, and how organised is the distribution network beyond the airport? Body-packers are the lowest rung of any trafficking chain; the real investigation begins where these arrests end.
NationPress
13 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cocaine did the DRI seize at Mumbai airport?
The DRI seized a total of 2.25 kg of cocaine worth approximately ₹11.25 crore in two separate operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, on 19 May and 22 May 2025.
How were the drugs being smuggled?
All four suspects used a method known as body-packing or internal concealment — swallowing capsules filled with cocaine. A total of 147 capsules were recovered after the accused were admitted to a nearby government hospital.
Who were the passengers arrested?
Four foreign nationals were arrested — two African males and two females (one from each operation). All had arrived at Mumbai's CSMI Airport on flights from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Under which law have the accused been charged?
The seized cocaine has been confiscated and the accused arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, which governs drug-related offences in India.
What is the DRI's separate action in northeastern India?
On 22 May, the DRI's Guwahati Zonal Unit, with assistance from the 38 Battalion of Assam Rifles, seized approximately 60,000 kg of smuggled foreign-origin areca nuts in Assam and Mizoram. The nuts were reportedly smuggled from Myanmar through the Myanmar-Mizoram border, and five people have been arrested.
