India, May 5 -- Seizures made by the Mumbai unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have indicated that narcotics-trafficking syndicates have begun preferring the air route to smuggle high-value contraband like cocaine. From April 2024 to March 2025, the Mumbai unit, in 12 separate cases, seized over around 18 kg of foreign-origin cocaine estimated to be worth around Rs.180 crore.

All the cases involved smuggling bids by passengers using the air route, often employing unique concealment methods. This modus operandi marked a departure from the two preceding years when a significant part of the seizures came from cocaine smuggled by the sea route, which was concealed primarily in trade containers.

The DRI's seizure data reve...