Mumbai: Indian Woman Busted with ₹62 Crore Cocaine Stash Hidden in Oreo Boxes After Flight from Doha
Mumbai: Indian Woman Busted with ₹62 Crore Cocaine Stash Hidden in Oreo Boxes After Flight from Doha
Indian woman returning from Doha caught smuggling 6.2 kg of cocaine in deceptive packaging; DRI intensifies crackdown on international drug trafficking
In a major bust at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized over 6.2 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated value of ₹62.6 crore in the international illegal market. The narcotic was cleverly concealed inside Oreo biscuit and chocolate boxes, carried by an Indian woman passenger arriving from Doha.
Acting on a specific intelligence tip, DRI officials intercepted the woman shortly after she landed in Mumbai on July 14. A detailed search of her luggage revealed six large Oreo boxes and three chocolate cartons. Upon opening them, officials discovered 300 capsules filled with a suspicious white powder.
Preliminary field tests confirmed the substance to be cocaine, with the total weight recorded at 6,261 grams. The woman was immediately taken into custody under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and an extensive investigation is now underway to trace the broader smuggling network involved.
This case marks the third major drug trafficking incident intercepted by DRI Mumbai in less than a month. The agency has been on high alert as traffickers increasingly use creative methods — including food packaging and concealed compartments — to bypass detection.
Earlier, on July 8, a separate operation at Tiruchirapalli International Airport led to the seizure of 11.8 kilograms of hydroponic cannabis valued at approximately ₹12 crore. In that case, a male passenger had arrived from Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur, and the high-potency contraband was hidden in 28 vacuum-sealed pouches inside personal belongings.
A senior DRI official emphasized that such smuggling attempts are becoming more sophisticated, but Indian enforcement agencies are keeping pace. “We are maintaining tight surveillance and coordination with global agencies to dismantle international narcotics networks,” the officer said. “This is part of a larger national effort to protect public health and national security.”
The woman arrested in the latest case is expected to face severe legal action, and further leads from the interrogation may uncover international syndicates or courier chains operating across South Asia and the Middle East.
As smugglers become more innovative in concealing narcotics, enforcement agencies too are upgrading technology, surveillance, and intelligence-sharing mechanisms reaffirming India’s growing vigilance in the fight against narcotics trafficking.
