The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dealt a significant blow to cross-border narcotics trafficking by seizing 5.24 kilograms of heroin valued at approximately Rs 10.48 crore from a passenger traveling on a Kathmandu-Delhi bus. A 28-year-old courier named Lalsang Zuala was arrested in Lucknow in connection with the seizure.
Details of the Operation
According to DRI officials, the operation was launched based on specific intelligence inputs indicating that a passenger traveling from Kathmandu to Delhi by road was smuggling narcotic substances. Acting on this tip-off, DRI officers mounted surveillance and intercepted the suspect during the early hours of May 20 in Lucknow. The accused was apprehended near the toll plaza on Chinhat road.
Recovery of Contraband
During a thorough examination of the baggage, officials discovered two packets containing 5,240 grams of a white powdery substance. Field testing later confirmed the substance to be heroin. The estimated value of the seized heroin in the international illicit drug market is around Rs 10.48 crore.
Legal Proceedings
The contraband was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Following the seizure, Lalsang Zuala was arrested and subsequently produced before the Additional District and Sessions Judge, NDPS Court, Lucknow, which remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody.
Modus Operandi
Sources indicate that individuals seeking quick and easy money often become carriers and are paid substantial sums for transporting narcotics. In February, a man from the Northeast was arrested with heroin worth Rs 10 crore after being promised Rs 30,000 for transportation. Investigators are now probing the larger trafficking network behind this consignment, including the source of the heroin, intended delivery points, and possible links to interstate and international drug syndicates operating through the Nepal border route.
Ongoing Investigation
Officials suspect that the accused was working as a courier in a larger smuggling chain and was tasked with transporting the narcotics to Delhi in exchange for money. The DRI stated that with this latest seizure, the agency has recovered a total of 21.34 kg of heroin worth approximately Rs 42.68 crore in Lucknow over the past six months as part of its intensified drive against narcotics smuggling and organized drug trafficking networks.
