“The sudden increase in ‘couriers’ heading to China indicates that a new drug route to China is shaping up with Delhi as a focal point,” said Additional Commissioner, Customs, Sanjay Kumar.

Although the number of persons arrested are few, the narcotics expert point out that these figures are significant. Drugs heading out of the country usually go through Delhi and Mumbai airports.

“China has a huge heroin market at present. Initially, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand were meeting the demand, but with tougher laws and political changes the opium production has completely died down in these countries,” said A P Siddiqui, Deputy Director, Intelligence and Investigations, Narcotics Control Bureau.

With the drying up of the golden triangle, there has been a record surge in the opium production in Afghanistan. According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 8,000 metric tones of opium has been produced in 2007. “So obviously there will be a spill over. And if heroin has to go out of Afghanistan, Delhi naturally falls on the geographical route,” said Siddiqui.

“Out of the 13 persons heading to China, six had concealed heroin in form of capsules inside their body,” said a senior customs official.