NCB busts international drug syndicate in Mumbai

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted a major international drug syndicate in Mumbai, arresting four persons and seizing contraband worth Rs 200 crore, a senior NCB officer said on Friday.

The seized drugs included 11.54 kg of cocaine, 4.9 kg of hybrid strain hydroponic weed and 200 packets (5.5 kg) of cannabis gummies.

Praising the agency’s efforts, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the operation was a testament to the success of the top-to-bottom investigative approach aimed at making India a drug-free country.

Additional Director (NCB-Mumbai) Amit Ghawate said the seizure was the result of concerted efforts by the NCB Mumbai team, following leads from a previous seizure of 200 grams of cocaine in January.

“After working on the leads generated in this case, and through technical and human intelligence, the NCB was finally able to trace the source of the contraband, which was recovered from Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, on January 31,” he said.

The initial recovery was made at an international courier agency in Mumbai, where a parcel destined for Australia was intercepted. The NCB then backtracked the supply chain to a larger quantity of drugs concealed in Navi Mumbai.

“Investigations so far have revealed that this syndicate is operated by a group based abroad. Some of the seized contraband was sourced from the US to Mumbai and was being sent to multiple recipients in India and abroad through courier services, small cargo shipments and human carriers,” the official added.

Further inquiries revealed that the accused in the case were anonymous to each other, using pseudonyms for daily communication related to drug dealings.