Mumbai: NCB foils smuggling bid; 2 held

Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested two people from Kurla for allegedly trafficking mephedrone (MD). The agency is now probing from where the accused persons had procured the contraband and who were its recipients, agency sources informed on Sunday. The duo was identified as Mohammad Sajid Shaikh, 42, and Shankar Sawant, 38. Both are the residents of Qureshi Nagar, Kurla.

According to the NCB, specific information was received that two people would be arriving near Kismat Nagar at the CST Road in Kurla along with the narcotic substance. Acting on the tip-off, the agency officials laid a trap on Saturday and intercepted both the suspects as soon as they arrived at the spot.

330gm of MD seized

The NCB officials seized 330gm of MD from their possession. Further probe is on to ascertain if both of them are part of any drug trafficking syndicate, from where they sourced the contraband and who was supposed to receive the consignment.

In 2015, the government had included MD, which is also known as m-cat or meow meow, as a 'psychotropic substance' under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. As per the law, MD weighing less than 50gm is considered non-commercial quantity and attracts imprisonment of two years extending up to 10 years and a fine up to ₹1 lakh.

A minimum of 50gm of MD is considered commercial quantity and the penalty is imprisonment between 10-20 years and a fine up to ₹2 lakh.

Published on: Sunday, April 09, 2023, 08:23 PM IST