Mumbai NCB busts inter-state drug syndicate; 286 kg of ganja worth Rs 3.5 cr seized; 2 persons held

The NCB zonal unit here on Monday claimed to have busted an inter-state drug racket and seized 286 kg of high grade ganja worth Rs 3.5 crore from traffickers moving in a car on the Solapur-Mumbai highway.

Two persons were arrested following the anti-drugs operation carried out on the intervening night of Sunday-Monday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) official said.

The NCB had received inputs about an inter-state drug trafficking syndicate planning transportation of a huge drug consignment to Mumbai, he said. Immediately, various intelligence networks were activated and the NCB sleuths learnt about a vehicle which was to be used for the transportation of a huge quantity of ganja sourced from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, he said. The field operational teams were strategically deployed on the Solapur-Mumbai highway for two days. A suspicious car with two occupants was intercepted late Sunday night and during its search, the NCB found 95 packets concealed in the vehicle, the official said.

A total of 286 kg of ganja was seized from these packets and the two persons were apprehended, he said.

A preliminary investigation revealed the involvement of an inter-state drug syndicate, which has its tentacles spread across various states, including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the NCB official said. The syndicate was involved in the supply of huge quantities of ganja to at least 20 peddling groups in Mumbai by procuring the contraband directly from source in Andhra and Telangana in bulk, he said. These groups in-turn used to supply the narcotics in small quantities to consumers, he said.

With this operation, the NCB Mumbai has successfully cut one of the major supply lines of high grade ganja to Mumbai, the official claimed, adding that further investigation is underway into the case.