Surat, June 26 (IANS) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Friday seized 2 kg of cocaine in Surat and arrested one person involved in its illicit trafficking under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985, an official said.

Besides this seizure, the DRI carried out a series of operations at various airports, railway stations, courier terminals, and highways in Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Patna, Cochin, and Ahmedabad, and has cumulatively seized approximately 26 kg of cocaine since last month, said the official in a statement.

During these operations, 22 persons, including 14 foreign nationals, were arrested, it said.

The contraband was trafficked through various modus operandi such as ingestion (swallowing drug-filled capsules or pellets for internal concealment within the body), concealment in household and edible items, soaking them in fabrics, concealment in baggage, etc.

Through coordinated operations, the DRI has consistently targeted organised syndicates engaged in the trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, contributing to the Government of India’s vision of a Nasha Mukt Bharat (Drug-free India), it said.

Every year, June 26 is observed as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking.

Established by the United Nations in 1987, this day is dedicated internationally to strengthening global action, raising awareness about the devastating impacts of substance abuse, and combating the illegal drug trade.

Earlier, the DRI arrested nine members of a syndicate, including a woman posted at the Mumbai airport, and seized a huge quantity of precious metal.

While dismantling the highly organised gold smuggling syndicate operating through Mumbai airport, the DRI detected and busted a gold melting facility used to melt foreign-origin smuggled gold.

A total of nine persons involved across the entire smuggling chain, including the airport staff, her handler, three intermediaries, the melting facility operator, and three persons engaged in the melting process, have been arrested, said a DRI statement.

This case underscores the evolving sophistication of organised gold smuggling syndicates, which increasingly exploit insider access at airports and employ layered distribution networks to evade detection, the statement said.

–IANS

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