DH News Service

Bangalore, Feb 22: In a massive haul, customs officials at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) on Friday night confiscated heroin worth about Rs 8 crore in the international market. Three kilograms of the narcotic substance were found packed in several sachets.

Defty, 26, a resident of Shillong, and Bertrand from Nigeria, have been arrested in this connection, according to the customs department sources.

Acting on a tip-off, the officials detained the accused when they were attempting to smuggle the substance. The packet containing the sachets reportedly came for delivery from Fedex Couriers in Koramangala III Block. The parcel was meant for delivery in South Africa, Canada and Nigeria.
 
The officials said the names and addresses of the receivers were written on the sachets. The substance, it is learnt, was brought to India from Pakistan. Later, it was transported to Bangalore from New Delhi. “The accused are being interrogated, and we want to know where and how they brought it to the City,” said an official.

As the frequent arrests of drug peddlers at BIA show, the City is apparently emerging as a transit point for the supply of cocaine, heroin and other narcotic drugs. But the airport security officials are confident of tracking the peddlers down. They cite the arrests as proof.

As a top security official put it, Bangalore being home to the top IT firms, drug peddlers had buyers at rave parties, and even at some discotheques. Foreign nationals avoid the Delhi airport and feel they could get away through BIA, but get trapped.