Tough task for sleuths as black cocaine flown by air

The air route has become a dominant way of smuggling drugs, as the most expensive drug, black cocaine, is brought to the country through international passenger and cargo flights, officials said on Sunday.

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A report prepared by the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) revealed that the recent seizures indicated an increasing trend of cocaine smuggling via air passenger routes, they said.

The data showed that there was a 100 per cent increase over 12 months, as the cases increased from 21 in 2022-23 to 47 in 2023-24, with the majority of them taking place at international airports across the country, they said.

It is also learnt from the officials that cocaine is the only drug showing the upward trend in its smuggling into India.