DRI Bengaluru captures Cocaine-Man! ₹40 Crore Contraband concealed in Superhero Comics Seized from Passenger arriving from Doha
Just this week, the DRI had foiled a ₹62.6 crore cocaine-smuggling operation at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized over 4 kilograms of cocaine valued at approximately ₹40 crore in a major operation at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. Acting on specific intelligence, DRI Bengaluru Zonal Unit officers intercepted an Indian male passenger who had arrived from Doha in the early hours of July 18, 2025....
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized over 4 kilograms of cocaine valued at approximately ₹40 crore in a major operation at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. Acting on specific intelligence, DRI Bengaluru Zonal Unit officers intercepted an Indian male passenger who had arrived from Doha in the early hours of July 18, 2025.
Upon inspection, officials noted that the passenger’s baggage contained two superhero comics and magazines that appeared unusually heavy. A detailed search revealed that white powder had been meticulously concealed within the covers of these magazines.
Subsequent field testing confirmed the powder to be cocaine, with the total quantity seized measuring 4,006 grams. The estimated international market value of the seized contraband is pegged at around ₹40 crore, marking it as one of the most significant cocaine hauls in recent times at the Bengaluru airport.
Following the recovery, the passenger was immediately arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 and was subsequently produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody on July 18, 2025.
The seizure is part of a series of events involving numerous international drug trafficking syndicates exploiting Indian airports as transit points for high-value narcotics.
This operation comes in the wake of similar major drug seizures across the country. Only days prior, the DRI had apprehended a Mumbai-bound female passenger arriving from Doha who was found smuggling over 6 kilograms of cocaine ingeniously hidden in biscuit boxes, highlighting a recurring modus operandi involving flights from Gulf nations.
Recent coordinated operations with agencies like Assam Rifles in the North-East have also led to multi-crore rupee drug busts and multiple arrests, underscoring a nationwide crackdown on organized narcotics networks.
According to the Ministry of Finance, all drugs recovered have been seized under the NDPS Act and investigations are ongoing to trace the broader network and sources involved. The DRI’s vigilance in thwarting such illicit influx of contraband continues to be a critical deterrent to traffickers attempting to leverage India’s airports for movement of narcotics.
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