Rs 24.5 crore cocaine seized from chocolate tins at Shamshabad airport

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the federal anti-smuggling agency, seized cocaine worth Rs 24.5 crore from a passenger arriving from Doha at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad.

Acting on a tip-off, officials inspected the passenger's baggage and found seven dark chocolate tubes marked as weighing 387 grams. Finding the tubes heavier than stated, they opened the containers and discovered 207 capsules hidden alongside the chocolates.

Field tests using a narcotic drug detection kit confirmed the white powder inside the capsules was cocaine. Officials seized 4 kilograms and 9 grams of the drug and took the passenger into custody for interrogation.

Investigators note that drug syndicates frequently use encrypted mobile apps, social media groups, and dead-drop delivery methods to traffic narcotics to major cities across the country while keeping supplier identities hidden.