Mumbai, 24th October 2024: The Special Postal Investigation Branch (SPIB) of Mumbai Customs has detained a 38-year-old German citizen for allegedly importing cocaine and marijuana via an international parcel. The individual has been identified as Alexander Gregor Russer, an IT professional living in Goa.

Customs officials reported that on October 3, SPIB intercepted a parcel deemed suspicious at the Foreign Post Office (FPO) in India. An inspection revealed the package contained 20 grams of cocaine and 99 grams of marijuana. The parcel was addressed to someone named Alexander Russer and was intended for delivery near Anjuna Beach, Goa.

Following this discovery, SPIB, with the consent of the Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), prepared a dummy parcel by section 50A (allowing for controlled delivery) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. This controlled delivery occurred on October 18, when a postman delivered the dummy parcel to Russer after confirming his identity with his passport.

During a subsequent search of Russer’s home, authorities found a dark brown substance resembling hashish on the dining table, along with another brown substance in his possession. When questioned, Russer admitted to using hashish once or twice a week.

He was arrested under applicable sections of the NDPS Act and appeared before the Metropolitan Magistrate (Esplanade Court) in Mumbai on Thursday, where he was placed in 14-day judicial custody.

Russer’s attorney, Alisha Parekh, stated that the parcel did not belong to her client and suggested it may have been sent by someone else to incriminate him. “My client did not order any such parcel,” she remarked.