Two held in separate bids to smuggle drugs, gold

Two persons, including a Nigerian, were arrested from Mumbai international airport in two separate incidents of alleged attempt to smuggle in drugs and gold collectively worth Rs 7.46 crore, a senior customs official said.
According to Air Intelligence Unit of the Customs, a Nigerian passenger Ukegbu Onwuka Okpan, who arrived on an Ethiopian Airlines flight yesterday at about 5 AM, was found carrying the contraband in his luggage during a check at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
"He was subsequently arrested. The seized 6.82 kg of amphetamine drugs is valued at Rs seven crore in the international market," the official said.

"It appears that the accused, who came to Mumbai from Nigeria via Addis Ababa, wanted to return the contraband as it was not accepted by the purchaser in his country. We are probing the case in this angle," the official added.
In the second case, an Indian passenger Ammakkoth Safeer, who arrived here from Dubai on an Indigo flight at 1 am today, was arrested with 16 gold bars weighing 1,865 grams and valued at Rs 46.27 lakh.
"The gold bars were concealed in the USB mini digital speaker. Safeer, who hails from Kerala, claimed the speaker had been handed over to him by one of his friends and he was not aware about the gold inside it," the officer added.

Safeer was arrested but later granted bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs two lakh.