An airline passenger who swallowed 38 capsules of heroin before boarding a flight in Dubai to India has been arrested at Delhi’s international airport.
The Ugandan passenger was stopped at Indira Gandhi International Airport by customs officials on January 15 and admitted to hospital under supervision.
During an initial search of the passenger, immigration officers found 53 capsules packed with heroin. The passenger passed a further 38 capsules of the drug under medical supervision over several days.
The 91 capsules in total contained 998 grams of heroin, with an estimated street value of about $940,000 (Dh3.4 million).
Smugglers caught attempting to bring illegal drugs into India face a prison term of up to 20 years.
India is wedged between the world’s two largest areas of illicit opium production - the Golden Crescent countries of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, and the Golden Triangle of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.
Annual seizures of heroin have declined in recent years in India, as other smuggling routes have become more popular.
However, in September Indian anti-smuggling intelligence officials intercepted close to three tonnes of heroin worth $2.7bn in a major operation at a port in Gujarat state.
War on Captagon: in pictures
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According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, trafficking in amphetamines has increased in the Middle East in recent years. Photo: Dubai Customs -
Specially trained K-9 units are often used by border forces to intercept shipments. EPA -
Experts believe the amount intercepted accounts for only around a tenth of the total quantity of pills being smuggled out of places like Syria and Jordan. EPA -
Dubai Customs thwarted 398 attempts to smuggle drugs into the city in the first three months of this year. Photo: Dubai Customs -
Captagon pills on display after being seized in Greece in 2019. EPA -
Captagon became synonymous with the Syrian Civil War. AFP -
The small, off-white pills have quickly become one of the most widely consumed drugs in the Middle East. EPA -
Millions of Captagon pills are seized around the world each year. EPA -
Captagon pills on display after a major interception of a shipment in 2009. Nicole Hill / The National -
Customs officers say Captagon smugglers prefer to use sea ports rather than airports because of the size of shipping containers, enabling them to conceal larger quantities of drugs. Photo: Dubai Customs
