New Delhi [India], May 2 (ANI): A total of 8 kg of narcotic substances worth Rs 80 crore was seized at Hyderabad International Airport in coordination with airport customs, said the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on Monday.

The substance was identified as cocaine which was recovered in a late Sunday night operation.

Also Read | Haryana Govt to Distribute Free Tablets to Students of Classes 10-12 from May 5: Official … – Latest Tweet by PTI News.

Based on specific intelligence, a male passenger who was a Tanzanian national, travelling from Cape Town to Hyderabad on a Business Visa, and a female passenger from Angola, travelling on a Tourist Visa, were apprehended by DRI on suspicion of them carrying narcotic substances.

"A total of 8 kg of cocaine, each passenger carrying 4 kg, was seized from the passengers from the packets concealed in the false bottom of their trolley bags. The estimated value of the seized cocaine in the illicit market is Rs. 80 crore," said the DRI.

Also Read | Haryana Shocker: Minor Girl Abducted, Raped by 18-Year-Old Youth in Faridabad; Arrested.

The agency informed that multiple cases involving the seizure of cocaine concealed in the form of pills ingested by air passengers have been booked by the DRI in the last four months.

Sustained efforts of DRI have led to the seizure of more than 350 kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth Rs 3,500 crore in the illicit market, across the country after January 2021. This includes a big haul of about 303 kg of cocaine, seized from a containerised cargo at Tuticorin Port, said the agency. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)