Ugandan national held with cocaine at Ahmedabad airport

Ahmedabad: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Ahmedabad Zonal Unit, has arrested a Ugandan national and seized 981 grams of cocaine at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, officials said.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officials kept watch at the airport and intercepted the passenger after he arrived in Ahmedabad on Qatar Airways flight QR534. During questioning, the passenger denied carrying any prohibited or suspicious substance.

However, based on the information available with the agency and the passenger’s movements, officials conducted a detailed search of his luggage. During the inspection of his trolley bag, they noticed unusual modifications in some of its components.

Further examination revealed that the passenger had concealed the suspected narcotic inside the telescopic handle and plastic support components of the trolley bag. The white powder was packed in polythene bags and hidden inside the bag’s structural parts.

Officials dismantled the relevant components and recovered 981 grams of white powder. The substance was subsequently tested and confirmed to be cocaine, according to the DRI.

The cocaine has been seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the Ugandan national has been arrested under the relevant provisions of the law.

The DRI has launched a detailed investigation to trace the source of the consignment, identify its intended recipient in Gujarat and establish the role of other people, both in India and abroad, who may be linked to the international drug-smuggling network. DeshGujarat