The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has unearthed and dismantled a highly organised gold smuggling syndicate operating in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam. The Ministry of Finance said that in the operation, DRI seized 15 kilograms of foreign origin gold, valued at 23 crore rupees, in operations at multiple locations and arrested 15 persons. It detected and busted a gold melting facility that was being used for melting foreign-origin smuggled gold. The case underscores the evolving sophistication of organised gold smuggling syndicates, which increasingly exploit insider access at airports and employ layered distribution networks to evade detection.

In another operation, DRI today seized 2 kilogram cocaine at Surat and arrested one person involved in its illicit trafficking under the relevant provisions of NDPS Act, 1985. It cumulatively seized approximately 26 kilograms of cocaine and arrested 22 persons, including 14 foreign nationals, since last month. The contraband was trafficked through various modus operandi, such as ingestion, concealment in household and edible items, soaking them in fabrics and concealment in baggage.