Smuggled cocaine in chocolate tubes: ₹24.5 crore drug haul at RGI Airport | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials seized 4.9 kg of cocaine worth around ₹24.5 crore from an Indian passenger at Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport on Tuesday. The passenger, who arrived from Doha, Qatar, was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and sent to judicial remand.Acting on specific intelligence that the passenger was carrying cocaine in his baggage, a team from the DRI’s Hyderabad Zonal Unit (HZU) intercepted him at the airport.During a search of his cabin baggage, officials found seven tubes of Lindt Lindor Assorted Filled Dark Chocolate Selection. Each tube was marked as weighing 387 grams, but officials found them unusually heavy.On opening the tubes, the DRI team discovered 207 oval-shaped transparent capsules containing a white powdery substance, concealed among the chocolates. The substance tested positive for cocaine using a narcotic drug detection kit.According to the DRI, 4.9 kg of cocaine valued at about ₹24.5 crore in the international market was seized. The passenger was subsequently arrested and remanded in judicial custody.Investigators are examining the accused’s travel history and phone records to trace the source and intended destination of the contraband. Further investigation is underway.