Nedumbassery: A Brazilian couple smuggling cocaine in the form of tablets were nabbed with 163 capsules at the airport in Nedumbassery, Kochi.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) confirmed that the capsules contained cocaine.

The suspects, Lucas Batista and Bruna Gabriel, a couple from Brazil, were arrested after they arrived in Kochi on Friday on an Emirates flight via Dubai.

They had ingested a total of 1670 grams of the drug, estimated at a value of Rs 16 crores.

The DRI made the arrest after they received an anonymous tip.

This is a highly dangerous form of smuggling, since the capsules may break once swallowed, even leading to death.

Since narcotic drug capsules have a plastic outer covering, they are unlikely to break even after it reaches the stomach upon swallowing, which encourages this practice among smugglers.

Bruna is reportedly pregnant.

The suspects were admitted to a private hospital in Angamaly and fed a diet consisting largely of fruits and vegetables to safely retrieve the ingested capsules.

An X-ray was conducted on Tuesday to ensure that no capsules remained in their bodies, after which they were arrested and remanded by an Angamaly court.