Indian anti-narcotics officials have arrested an Ivory Coast national who allegedly ingested over one kilogram of cocaine in Sierra Leone and attempted to smuggle it into India.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Mumbai intercepted the suspect at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Thursday, June 20, following a targeted intelligence operation.
According to Indian authorities, the man had arrived in Mumbai from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and was suspected of carrying narcotics internally. Upon interrogation and subsequent medical examination at a government hospital, 67 cocaine-filled capsules weighing approximately 1.13 kilograms were retrieved from his body.
The street value of the drugs is estimated at ₹11.39 crore (equivalent to over 1.3 million USD or 30 billion Leones), making it a significant seizure by Indian law enforcement linked to the West African region.
Authorities suspect the smuggling operation may be part of a broader trafficking network using West Africa as a transit point for illegal drug shipments to Asia. The DRI has since launched a wider investigation to identify other individuals or groups potentially connected to the case.
Under Indian law, the cocaine was seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985, and the accused is now in custody awaiting further legal action.
In a separate but similar incident, DRI operatives arrested a Nigerian woman last week who was caught trying to traffic 2.56 kilograms of methamphetamine and 584 grams of ecstasy tablets to New Delhi. Both arrests underscore the growing vigilance of Indian authorities against international drug trafficking via African routes.
Back in Sierra Leone, the incident has sparked renewed concerns about the country’s role in international drug smuggling routes. Law enforcement and anti-narcotics agencies are being urged to strengthen border surveillance and international cooperation to stem such activities that continue to damage the country’s image abroad.
