A woman from Botswana was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport along with over 3kg of heroin this afternoon.

The arrestee Lesedi Molapisi, 30, arrived at the airport on a flight of Qatar Airways from South Africa via Doha.

Customs officials in association with National Security Intelligence intercepted the foreigner as she was crossing green channel around 5:30pm, Sanuwarul Kabir, deputy commissioner of Customs told The Daily Star.

In the face of interrogation, she denied having anything beyond declaration or any drugs in the luggage. As the official scanned her luggage, they found powdery and granular substance inside the trolley bag.

The officials then opened the luggage and found eight polybags inside carrying 3.146kg heroin, he said.

"We have information that cocaine is being smuggled but officials from the Department of Narcotics Control primarily confirmed that the seized item is heroin. We will send the samples for laboratory tests," Sanuwarul said.

Legal action against her is underway.