Kochi: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has made one of the biggest drug busts at the Cochin International Airport with the seizure of cocaine worth crores from a pair of Tanzanians.
At least 100 capsules containing 1,945 grams of cocaine were extracted from the stomach of a male passenger, Omari Athumani Jongo. The value of the seizure is Rs 19 crore, said the DRI.
The female passenger, Veronica, who was with Jongo on the flight from Ethiopia via Doha, has been admitted to the hospital for the recovery of drugs from her stomach. A DRI source said they expect the woman to be holding at least half the quantity of cocaine extracted from Jongo. That projects the total seizure at close to 3kg and worth nearly Rs 30 crore.
The DRI officers had intercepted the foreigners, acting on specific intelligence. "The passengers were subjected to X-ray screening which showed positive for foreign bodies inside their stomach," said a DRI release. The male passenger, Jongo, was produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate in Angamaly and remanded to the Sub Jail at Aluva.
