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DRI Busts Gold Smuggling Ring at Mumbai Airport in 'Operation Golden Sweep', 13 Arrested

The bust capped a week of major contraband hauls by Mumbai Customs, with probes continuing.

Overview

  • DRI said it seized 10.488–10.5 kg of 24-carat foreign-origin gold valued at about ₹12.58 crore and detained 13 suspects at CSMIA.
  • Those held include two Bangladeshi and six Sri Lankan nationals, two meet-and-greet airport employees, two handlers, and an alleged Mumbai-based mastermind.
  • Investigators described a method using transit passengers from Dubai to onward destinations who carried egg-shaped wax capsules internally and discreetly passed them to colluding staff in the international departures area.
  • Mumbai Customs reported seven narcotics cases between October 8 and 11, recovering roughly 50 kg of suspected hydroponic weed worth over ₹44 crore from passengers arriving from Phuket, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur, with arrests under the NDPS Act.
  • In a separate interception, officials rescued multiple protected exotic species from a Bangkok passenger at CSMIA, while Chennai AIU reported recent seizures of over 9 kg of ganja, 594 g of gold, and currency worth ₹51.4 lakh.