The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), operating under the Ministry of Finance, has announced the seizure of more than 845 kg of illegal drugs across multiple locations in recent operations. A total of 15 persons have been arrested. The action represents part of an ongoing effort to disrupt drug smuggling networks operating within India.
What was seized and where
The contraband included cannabis, charas (hashish), cocaine and amphetamine-type stimulants recovered from various routes and entry points.
- Around 801 kg of cannabis was seized in two separate operations. On 17 September, DRI officers stopped a container truck near Jindapur Toll Plaza in Bodh Gaya and found 752.3 kg of ganja packed in rice husk. On 11 September, officers working with the Ghariyaband Forest Department recovered 48.5 kg from two persons in Mentri village, Odisha.
- Six kilograms of charas was recovered on 20 September when DRI staff searched two female passengers travelling on the Jan Nayak Express at Gorakhpur Railway Station. The substance was concealed under their clothing.
- At Mumbai and Bengaluru airports, Customs authorities seized approximately 28 kg of high-grade cannabis from four passengers arriving from Thailand and Vietnam.
- On 15 September at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, DRI officers intercepted an Indian passenger from Dubai and recovered 5.8 kg of cocaine from checked baggage.
- In three separate amphetamine seizures at Mumbai, Calicut and Indore, officers recovered around 4.5 kg total. One operation also yielded Rs. 3.45 lakh in cash.
What this means for you
These operations show how drug trafficking networks attempt to move contraband through airports, railway stations, highways and inter-state routes. The seizures highlight the various hiding methods smugglers use, from concealment in food packaging to hidden compartments in clothing. If you travel internationally or interstate, understand that authorities conduct random baggage checks and body searches. Attempting to carry or transport illegal drugs carries serious criminal penalties under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.