Bengaluru 27 April

In a major bust, officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized drugs worth Rs 8.5 crore that were being smuggled into Bengaluru disguised inside food kits.
A Nigerian woman, who had arrived from Delhi on Saturday, was intercepted by DRI officials at her arrival point. On searching her check-in luggage, officials discovered vacuum-packed transparent packets cleverly hidden inside branded snack packs, including corn flakes boxes.
Upon inspection, a greenish, lumpy substance confirmed later to be hydroponic weed was recovered from 13 such packets. Hydroponic weed, a high value variant of cannabis cultivated in water, is increasingly in demand in the illegal drug market.
Authorities said the woman had concealed approximately 4.5 kilograms of the drug inside food packets. The DRI has launched a wider investigation to uncover smuggling network in the city which continues to be a growing transit and distribution hub for organised international drug syndicates.