Six arrested as DRI seizes gold, cocaine worth ₹4.47 crore in separate operations at Mumbai airport

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested six people, including an airport staff member and a Zambian woman, in two separate operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). They seized 2.317 kg of gold and 190 g of cocaine, collectively valued at approximately ₹4.47 crore, officials said on Wednesday (October 21, 2026).

In the first drug bust, acting on specific intelligence, officers from the DRI’s Mumbai Zonal Unit allegedly uncovered an organised gold smuggling syndicate during an operation on October 19 and 20. The network allegedly involved two passengers, an airport staff member, and two recipients of the smuggled gold.

Officers seized 2.317 kg of 24-carat foreign-origin gold bars, valued at approximately ₹3.47 crore, and arrested all five individuals under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Preliminary investigations indicated that the accused were involved in the clandestine movement and handling of the smuggled gold, according to the DRI.

In a separate operation, DRI officers intercepted a Zambian woman who arrived in Mumbai on October 20 from Freetown, Sierra Leone, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Suspecting that she was acting as a drug carrier, officers subjected her to a medical examination between October 20 and 21. During the examination, she expelled 11 capsules containing a white powder. Field tests confirmed the presence of cocaine in the capsules, which contained 190 g of the narcotic substance by gross weight, valued at approximately ₹1 crore in the international illicit market. The contraband was seized, and the woman was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The DRI said investigations are under way in both cases to trace the wider smuggling networks and identify other individuals, who were allegedly involved.