The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Wednesday seized 16 kilograms of high quality heroin in a major bust at Mumbai International Airport and arrested one person in connection with it.

Officials of DRI informed that the seizure is believed to be worth more than Rs 80 crores in the international markets.

They said that an operation was carried out on the basis of information received by the DRI after the accused reached the airport. He was detained after that, however a search of his luggage did not return anything.

Officials then went ahead and searched his trolley bag during which the drugs were recovered from a fake cavity, added DRI.

The accused in the matter was identified as Binu John from Kerala. He has been taken into custody by DRI. A case has also been registered against him under the NDPS Act.

Meanwhile, the detained accused told DRI that he had been paid one thousand US dollars by a foreign national to take the drugs to India. He also disclosed names of other associates involved in the matter.

The probing agency is now looking into these names disclosed by John. Officials also said that they are checking any past drug smuggling records of the accused to find out if he had previously smuggled drugs into the country.