Central Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials seized cocaine worth about Rs 15 crore at Chennai International Airport and arrested a 35-year-old Kenyan woman, officials said.
Based on a tip-off, a DRI special team kept watch on June 29 as an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa landed in Chennai. During passenger checks, officers grew suspicious of the woman, who had arrived on a tourist visa via Ethiopia.
Officials said she gave inconsistent answers and later refused to cooperate during questioning at the customs office. A search of her belongings did not reveal anything suspicious.
She was then taken to the airport hospital for an X-ray, which indicated she had swallowed multiple capsules. With medical assistance, 70 capsules were recovered, and tests showed they contained high-grade cocaine weighing about 850 grams.
The DRI has registered a case and is continuing its investigation to identify the intended recipient in Chennai and trace others linked to the international smuggling network, officials added.
