Customs officials at Hyderabad airport seized over 2 kg of heroin valued at Rs 14.2 crore from an African woman who arrived from Nairobi on Sunday morning.

The 43-year-old woman, a citizen of Burundi, arrived on an Air Arabia flight from Nairobi via Sharjah.

#Seizure of 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 of #Heroin valued at 𝐑𝐬.𝟏𝟒.𝟐𝟎 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 by #hydcus at RGIA.
Based on Passenger Profiling & meticulous observation, #hydcus at RGIA identified and intercepted pax arrived from Nairobi by Air Arabia Airways Flight No.G9-458 on 2.7.2023(1/5) pic.twitter.com/FPj7ZceLwZ

— Hyderabad Customs (@hydcus) July 3, 2023

Customs officials who searched the woman’s baggage found that eight traditional African dresses, a women’s handbag and three soaps she was carrying appeared to be heavier than normal, according to an official statement.

“On careful opening of the side walls/layers of the dresses, handbag and the soaps, black/clear plastic packets/pouches concealed in each of the walls/layers of the handbag, buttons of dresses and soaps were found. Opening of said packets contained brownish white powder, which upon testing appeared to be heroin, a narcotic drug which is prohibited under NDPS Act 1985. A total of 2027 grams of heroin valued at approx. Rs 14.2 crore in the international market was seized,” the statement added.

The passenger was arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985, and has been remanded to judicial custody by the local court on Monday.

Further investigations are on and Customs officials are looking to unravel the wider smuggling network involved.