The Mumbai division of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has observed a significant shift in drug trafficking methods, with criminal syndicates increasingly turning to air routes to smuggle cocaine. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the DRI seized over 18 kg of cocaine, valued at approximately ₹180 crore, in 12 incidents involving air travel. This marks a notable change from the past two years, when the majority of cocaine seizures occurred through maritime shipping containers.
Although these recent air route seizures involve smaller quantities—compared to 63.5 kg confiscated in 2023–24 and 82.31 kg in 2022–23—they still exceed figures from the COVID-19 pandemic years and reflect a broader global trend in drug trafficking.
According to sources, the rise in cocaine smuggling via air is due to increased international travel and the relative speed of air transport. Smugglers often conceal drugs in baggage, shipping parcels, or internally via human carriers known as “mules.” Syndicates are shifting to air routes to minimize losses following intensified inspections of sea shipments. Hiring a courier to smuggle drugs into India can cost as little as USD 1,000, and avoiding detection is easier without prior intelligence.
Traffickers typically carry small quantities, which limits financial loss in case of seizure. In response, the DRI has ramped up intelligence gathering to monitor potential smuggling attempts across air, sea, and land. However, the growing number of air smuggling cases—primarily involving foreign nationals using body concealment techniques—poses major enforcement challenges, despite the DRI’s success in profiling potential suspects.
India continues to face major challenges in combating drug trafficking due to its strategic location, extensive borders, and evolving smuggling tactics. The country’s booming economy and large youth population make it an attractive market for global drug cartels, further exacerbating the problem.
While air smuggling is on the rise, maritime routes remain key channels for large-scale drug operations. For instance, on October 6, 2022, DRI officers intercepted a container at the Nhava Sheva port in Navi Mumbai and discovered 50 kg of cocaine—valued at ₹502 crore—hidden among imported green apples and pears from South Africa.
Just days earlier, on September 30, 2022, authorities seized another shipment containing 9 kg of cocaine and 198 kg of methamphetamine worth ₹1,476 crore. These incidents highlight the persistent and complex challenges India faces in its efforts to curb narcotics trafficking.
