Jaipur: In an action against smuggling, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) successfully conducted two major busts at Jaipur Airport within a span of 48 hours this week, seizing contraband worth over Rs 17 crore. First, the DRI officials arrested a Delhi resident attempting to smuggle around 15.7 kg of hydroponic weed into the country on Thursday. The high-quality cannabis, valued at nearly Rs 15.7 crore, was intercepted following a tip-off. The accused was swiftly taken into custody and presented before a court, which subsequently remanded him to judicial custody. The next day, the DRI seized 1.949 kg of smuggled gold from a passenger arriving from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The gold, valued at around Rs 2.18 crore, was ingeniously concealed in paste form within the passenger’s undergarments. Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officials detained the suspect with illegal gold upon his arrival at Jaipur Airport. The accused, whose identity remains undisclosed to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations, was produced in court and has been remanded to jail. DRI officials indicated that the arrested individuals were likely carriers for larger smuggling syndicates. “It appears that these individuals were used as pawns by organised smuggling networks. These networks often exploit vulnerable individuals, such as labourers, by offering them flight tickets and monetary incentives to transport contraband,” a DRI officer explained. The operations highlight a trend of smugglers targeting labourers working in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, leveraging their economic vulnerabilities to facilitate the illegal transport of gold and narcotics into India. Further investigations are underway to dismantle the networks involved in smuggling, said DRI officials.
