New Delhi, August 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested 20 people, including five foreign nationals, in a series of operations against organised smuggling networks and seized gold, narcotics and other prohibited items, officials said on Saturday.
The agency said it recovered around 9.5 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at nearly Rs 14 crore, along with heroin, MDMA, hydroponic weed, red sanders, prohibited wildlife products, e-cigarettes, foreign-origin poppy seeds and areca nuts during the operations conducted over the past week.
According to the DRI, the arrests exposed sophisticated concealment methods allegedly used by organised criminal networks involved in smuggling and trafficking.
In one major gold seizure, DRI officials arrested two foreign nationals who had arrived from Dubai at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on July 29. Around 40 foreign-origin gold bars weighing nearly 4 kg were recovered from concealed cavities in their baggage.
In separate operations carried out jointly with the Border Security Force (BSF) along the India-Bangladesh border, authorities seized around 3.2 kg of foreign-origin gold. The recoveries were made from individuals near the border fence at Tungi, Hili border gate and Nityanandakati area of Hakimpur. Three people, including a woman, were arrested.
The DRI also seized around 2.2 kg of gold in separate operations at Varanasi, Delhi Airport and Tamil Nadu, leading to the arrest of four persons.
In narcotics-related operations, the agency, with assistance from Assam Rifles and Manipur Police, intercepted a vehicle near Churachandpur in Manipur and recovered around 2.7 kg of heroin hidden inside 220 soap cases. Two persons were arrested.
In Mumbai, DRI teams intercepted two foreign women travelling from Delhi and recovered around 2 kg of amphetamine crystals and MDMA tablets allegedly concealed in specially designed cavities in their luggage. Both were arrested under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
In another case, DRI officials detected an attempted import of around 14 metric tonnes of Pakistan-origin Guggul resin valued at Rs 1.4 crore through alleged misdeclaration of the product’s description and country of origin.
The consignment was reportedly declared as natural resin from Somalia and routed through Dubai, the agency said.
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