High-Value Drugs Like Cocaine Increasingly Smuggled via Air Routes: DRI

Mumbai, India — In a dramatic change in smuggling trends, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has registered a strong preference on the part of drug trafficking syndicates to air routes for bringing high-value drugs such as cocaine into India. DRI seizures by its Mumbai unit show that during April 2024-March 2025, all the cocaine consignments intercepted were by air, a departure from earlier years when bulk arrivals by sea routes were more frequent.

As per official reports, the Mumbai unit confiscated nearly 18 kg of foreign-origin cocaine in 12 cases between 2024–25. The illicit drugs, worth nearly ₹180 crore, were trafficked wholly through air routes by single carriers utilizing creative concealment techniques. These involved concealing cocaine in bags or courier packets, or swallowing the drugs—a method widely utilized by human “mules.

This change is away from trends of the last two years, where most cocaine seizures were attributed to smuggling by means of shipping containers through sea ports. Compared to 2024–25, during 2023–24, the DRI had confiscated 63.5 kg of cocaine valued at ₹638 crore in 18 cases, and 82.31 kg valued at ₹820.1 crore in 11 cases during 2022–23. Notably, in 2023–24 alone, sea route seizures totaled around 23 kg and 59 kg in 2022–23 through the same means.

Nevertheless, while overall weight reduced, the seizures in 2024–25 were more than those that were seized in the pandemic-struck years 2020–21 (4.94 kg worth ₹29.75 crore) and 2021–22 (6.19 kg worth ₹46.81 crore), during which international air travel had a major curtailment.

Increasing Use of Air Routes
DRI officials credited this increasing dependence on air routes to several reasons. An agency source mentioned that intensified interceptions of consignments going by sea over the past years might have spurred syndicates into rethinking their approach.

“Every interception of a sea route leads to a heavy financial loss and puts the entire supply chain in jeopardy. Air route smuggling is, however, decentralized. Even if a few carriers are intercepted, the total monetary loss will be small,” said the official.

Smugglers are now relying more on low-risk, high-frequency trafficking, using multiple carriers—usually foreign nationals—paid roughly USD 1,000 per trip. They usually transport small amounts between a few grams and a few kilograms, making them harder to detect and reducing the implications of each seizure.

“Air traffic is rapid and high-volume, making it a desirable option for syndicates,” the official continued. “Drugs are usually concealed in personal luggage or within the bodies of mules, enabling them to evade traditional screening systems.”

Challenges for Enforcement Agencies
The exclusive reliance on air routes in 2024–25 poses fresh challenges for enforcement. Detecting body concealment methods remains difficult, especially without prior intelligence. Despite this, the DRI has enhanced its passenger profiling capabilities, enabling it to intercept several such attempts.

“Smuggling by air route is more technical and requires improved profiling, monitoring, and inter-agency coordination,” the source added. “It’s still more controllable when it comes to damage control in terms of huge sea route seizures, though.”

Sea Route Still Preferred for Bulk Smuggling
Though airways are used for small quantities of frequent shipments, the sea route continues to be the chosen avenue for bulk smuggling. In October 2022, the DRI achieved its biggest cocaine seizure to date by seizing a container at Nhava Sheva port in Navi Mumbai. The shipment, declared as green apples and pears from South Africa, hid 50 kg of high-quality cocaine worth ₹502 crore.

Only days before, another shipment of Valencia oranges from South Africa was discovered to have 9 kg of cocaine worth ₹90 crore, and a whopping 198 kg of methamphetamine worth ₹1,476 crore.

These instances point towards the huge quantities achievable through sea smuggling, which is based on hiding within legal trade commodities.

Continued Efforts to Restrict Smuggling
The DRI continues to intensify its intelligence-gathering and interdiction efforts. “Whether it’s air, sea, or land, no route is off our radar,” a DRI spokesperson emphasized. “We’re upgrading our methods to stay ahead of evolving tactics used by traffickers.”

India’s strategic location, open borders, and expanding economy render it an attractive target for international drug syndicates, with the youth population ever more susceptible to drugs. With smuggling techniques becoming increasingly sophisticated, the necessity for effective, high-tech enforcement becomes ever more imperative.