Hyderabad: A Ugandan woman was sentenced to 13 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh by Ranga Reddy district court after she was caught smuggling drugs at Hyderabad airport.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted her on June 5, 2021, at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad, where she had returned to retrieve a missed check-in bag from a prior flight from Harare.

Upon examination, officials found 3,900 grams of heroin worth Rs. 25.35 crore hidden in her baggage.

The woman was then arrested at Hyderabad airport under the NDPS Act, 1985. Following an investigation, a complaint was filed in the first Additional District and Sessions Court, Ranga Reddy, L B Nagar. The court concluded that the prosecution had proven the accused’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted her under Section 23(c) of the NDPS Act.

Alongside the prison term, the court ordered an additional three months of simple imprisonment if the fine remains unpaid.

In a similar incident, officers of the directorate of revenue intelligence at the Hyderabad intercepted two Indian passengers coming from Bangkok at Hyderabad Airport and seized Marijuana from them.

The contraband was concealed in their check-in luggage, and 13 vacuum-packed transparent packets were found inside the packets of Kellogg’s cornflakes and cookie boxes. A greenish substance in lumpy form was recovered from all 13 packets, and when tested with a field test kit, it indicated positive for marijuana, said officials.

The packets containing 7.096 kg of hydroponic weed have been seized, and the passengers have been arrested under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985 and remanded to judicial custody.

Further investigation is ongoing.

Then, The Customs Department destroyed 216.69 kilograms of narcotics and psychotropic substances, valued at Rs. 468.02 crore in the illicit market, which were confiscated from passengers at the Hyderabad airport.

The assortment of drugs included 27.91 kilograms of heroin, 136.28 kilograms of mephedrone, and 52.5 kilograms of ganja. Additionally, foreign cigarettes worth Rs 40 lakh were also disposed of.

These substances had been apprehended from individuals hailing from various countries, including Nigerians, Tanzanians, South Africans, Beninese, and Indians, by the diligent officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Customs Department at RGI Airport.