First-time offender claims Brazilian mafia threatened to kill his entire family if he did not smuggle drugs into India; smugglers employ a wide array of tactics to elude law enforcement, resulting in frequent incidents at Indian airports and ports
Fernando Jeronimo Santos Da Silva
A 24-year-old Brazilian national recently confessed to smuggling 1398 gms of cocaine concealed in 141 capsules, which he had swallowed. Fearing that the capsules might burst, the accused, Fernando Jeronimo Santos Da Silva, on arriving at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, spilled the beans to Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officials.
Fernando’s lawyer, Prabhakar Tripathi, claimed in the Esplanade Court on Saturday that the youth was forced to smuggle the consignment as the drug syndicate in his home country had threatened to kill his family if he refused.
According to the police, the matter came to light on January 28. “He had arrived from Paris, and he held a Brazilian passport. His bag was searched and nothing suspicious was found. We then asked him if he had anything in his possession, and he confessed that he had undigested capsules full of a narcotic substance. He said he was experiencing discomfort in his lower abdomen and that he wanted to use the washroom,” a police officer told mid-day.
Prabhakar Tripathi, Fernando’s lawyer
Fernando was subsequently arrested and produced in the Esplanade Court, which directed the government-run J J Hospital to recover all the capsules and conduct a medical test on the accused. “During his stay at the hospital, 141 capsules were recovered. On February 1, he was produced in the Esplanade Court to secure judicial custody,” a police officer said.
Tripathi told mid-day, “My client has told me that the Brazilian mafia coerced him into smuggling cocaine, warning that his family would be killed if he failed to comply. I prayed for judicial custody for the accused, which was granted, and hope that there will be a fair investigation into the matter.”
Tripathi added, “This was his first attempt at committing a crime. He was quite frightened on arriving at the airport. When he saw the police, my client told them that he had smuggled the capsules as he was being threatened by the Brazilian mafia. He only speaks Portuguese and hence there are communication barriers. Efforts have been made to contact his mother. He was admitted to J J Hospital for five days and is still frightened.”
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. File pic/Satej Shinde
Traffickers’ methods
Smugglers employ a wide array of tactics to elude law enforcement, resulting in frequent incidents at Indian airports and ports. One method involves using “body packers” who ingest drugs concealed within condom-wrapped capsules. These objects are meticulously assembled into three layers using balloons, condoms, cello tape and latex covering. Subsequently, drug mules are instructed to ingest them through the mouth, allowing them to pass into the gastrointestinal tract. Alternatively, capsules can be inserted into the vagina or rectum, but this is less common due to the higher risk of leakage. Typically, drug mules are directed to swallow the capsules due to their ease of concealment. Each capsule is around six to seven cm in size and weighs between 25 and 40 grams. The average carrying capacity of a mule is 1 kg.
According to a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), traffickers employ specialised machines to load drugs into capsules and in some instances, drug mules are provided with a drug-laced soup to numb their throats to facilitate the smooth passage of the objects. Anaesthesia is also sprayed into their mouths at times, enabling them to swallow as many as 120 capsules.
Recovery process
When such passengers are identified, they are immediately transported to the hospital for X-rays. After confirming the presence of concealed items, they are placed in a dedicated hospital room under police protection, with a team of officials and doctors closely monitoring their condition. To aid in the natural expulsion of drug-filled balloons, these individuals are provided with an assortment of foods, including bananas, milk and juice.
In some cases, African nationals may decline to consume bananas or milk, so the authorities accommodate their dietary preferences, often providing items like fried rice and sandwiches. The utmost care is taken in their management, as even a minor error could result in life-threatening consequences.
1 kg
Average carrying capacity of a drug mule
Previous incidents
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recorded ten cases between May 2021 and August 2023. In these, they arrested 12 individuals hailing from underdeveloped African countries found harbouring various drugs inside their bodies. These operations resulted in the recovery of drugs worth Rs 105 crore. While Mumbai airport witnessed three such cases in 2023, in March 2024, the DRI arrested two Nigerian nationals, who were smuggling 2.976 kg of cocaine worth Rs 30 crore in 167 capsules. The duo was admitted to J J Hospital for three days and all capsules purged. In June, a Benin national, who had ingested 43 capsules with 504 grams of heroin worth around R5 crore, was arrested. He was subsequently admitted at J J Hospital for 10 days, during which he expelled all the capsules. In August 2024, DRI apprehended a Ugandan national who had swallowed 65 capsules containing 785 gm of drugs valued at Rs 7.85 crore.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
