Mumbai: The Mumbai division of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) noted a change in drug trafficking, as gangs began utilizing air routes to transport cocaine. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the DRI confiscated more than 18 kg of cocaine valued at around ₹180 crore in 12 air travel incidents, a significant shift from the past two years when most confiscations occurred through maritime containers. Although these numbers (63.5 kg in 2023-24 and 82.31 kg in 2022-23) are less than in previous years, they exceed those from the Covid-19 pandemic years, suggesting a global trafficking trend.
A source indicates that drug trafficking through air routes has increased because of the rapid pace and growing international air travel. Smugglers frequently conceal drugs in baggage, shipping parcels, or swallow them using mules. The transition to aerial pathways is due to a rise in cocaine interceptions at sea, leading syndicates to look for options that result in lower financial losses. Smugglers can utilise various carriers for approximately USD 1,000 per trip to India, and avoiding detection is simpler without targeted intelligence.
Transporters usually carry limited quantities of drugs, reducing the overall financial risk for smuggling organizations. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has intensified intelligence activities to track every potential drug smuggling pathway and prevent attempts through air, land, or sea. Nevertheless, the increase in air smuggling incidents, predominantly involving foreign citizens utilizing body concealment, presents substantial difficulties for enforcement, although the DRI has managed to profile possible offenders.
India confronts significant obstacles in tackling narcotics trafficking because of its strategic location and vast borders, as changing global drug trade techniques hinder enforcement initiatives. The nation's robust economy and young population, seen as a crucial market by drug cartels, worsen the problem.
Current information from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) shows that major cocaine confiscations have mostly taken place via maritime routes, facilitating large-scale smuggling by hiding shipments in cargo containers. Significantly, on October 6, 2022, DRI agents seized a container at the Nhava Sheva port in Navi Mumbai, uncovering 50 kilograms of cocaine valued at ₹502 crore hidden among imported green apples and pears from South Africa.
Previously, on September 30, they confiscated another consignment, revealing nine kilograms of cocaine and 198 kilograms of methamphetamine worth ₹1,476 crore. These events underscore the persistent difficulties India encounters in addressing the drug trafficking issue.
