Chennai, Tamil Nadu: In a major breakthrough against drug trafficking, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Chennai, in a joint operation with the Air Intelligence Unit of Chennai Customs, seized 5.618 kg of high-grade cocaine worth nearly ₹60 crore at Chennai International Airport on September 1, 2025.
The operation led to the arrest of two Indian nationals—a 25-year-old BA graduate from Bageshwar, Uttarakhand, and a 26-year-old ITI pass youth from Chamba, Himachal Pradesh—who had arrived from Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. The contraband was concealed in their baggage.
Investigations revealed that the duo had been part of a larger transnational syndicate engaged in smuggling cocaine from Ethiopia into India. Acting swiftly, NCB further apprehended a Nigerian national in Delhi, who had overstayed his medical visa and was allegedly managing the distribution network, along with an Indian accomplice from Mumbai. A person of Indian origin in Addis Ababa has also been identified as a key handler of the syndicate.
The seizure underscores the NCB’s commitment to the vision of a “Drug Free India (Nasha Mukt Bharat)” as envisioned by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and directed by Hon’ble Union Home Minister.
In view of the increasing involvement of foreign nationals in narcotics trafficking, NCB has also shared details of overstaying foreigners with state authorities for strict action under the Foreigners Act.
The Bureau has appealed to the public to support this mission. Citizens can confidentially share information on drug trafficking by calling the MANAS Toll-Free Number 1933, with full assurance of identity protection.
