Chennai: Two Indians held for carrying cocaine worth $6.8mn from Ethiopia
5.618 kg of Cocaine worth $6.8mn seized from airport baggage at Chennai Photograph: (WION)
In a major drug bust at Chennai International Airport, the Narcotics Control Bureau and Customs Air Intelligence Unit seized 5.618 kg of high-grade cocaine, with an estimated street value of ₹60 crores ($6.8 million).
The Narcotics Control Bureau and the Customs Air Intelligence Unit in the southern Indian city of Chennai seized 5.618 kg of cocaine from incoming international passengers' baggage at the city's international airport. As per the images shared by authorities, the contraband appears to be packed in small metal foils that make it seem like premium chocolates.
According to authorities, two Indian nationals – a resident of Bageshwar, Uttarakhand, aged 25, and a resident of Chamba, Himachal, aged 26 – were apprehended while carrying the contraband brought on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Chennai in their baggage.
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The street value of the seized high-grade cocaine is estimated to be at least Rs 60 crores, or $6.8 million in India. Cocaine, which is sold illegally in one-gram sachets, is estimated to cost anywhere between Rs 8,000 ($90) to Rs 12,000 ($136), depending on the level of adulteration in the cocaine.
It has been ascertained that the apprehended Indian nationals have made multiple trips from Addis Ababa to various airports in India for trafficking cocaine over the last few years.
According to authorities, preliminary investigations also reveal that the duo is part of a larger transnational drug syndicate involved in the trafficking of cocaine from Ethiopia to India.
It was revealed that the network was handled by a Nigerian national in Delhi and that the contraband would be distributed from the national capital to other parts of the country.
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NCB said that they detained the said Nigerian national in Delhi, who has been in India since the year 2023 on a medical visa, but the individual was overstaying since 2024, even after the expiry of his visa. While the Nigerian national had come on a medical visa on the grounds of undergoing treatment at a Chennai hospital, he was involved in drug trafficking and setting up a distribution channel from Delhi.
Further, authorities held an Indian national from Mumbai who was a part of this syndicate.
In addition to this, investigation has shown the involvement of a person of Indian origin in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, who arranges the supply of cocaine and handles the distribution of profits among the syndicate members. A probe is underway to identify and apprehend all other members of this syndicate and to ascertain the financial trail, officials said.
"Considering the involvement of foreigners, especially African nationals, in illegal drug trafficking activities in India, NCB has collected the list of overstaying foreigners and shared the data with the States for appropriate action against the overstaying individuals under the Foreigners Act," NCB said.
