Mumbai: In continuation of their crackdown against the local drug syndicate, the Crime Branch unit (Zone III) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police arrested a 39-year-old Nigerian national found in possession of cocaine worth Rs. 3 lakh in Nallasopara.
A patrolling team from the Crime Branch unit, led by PSI Abhijeet Taylor, spotted a foreign national behaving suspiciously in the Hanuman Nagar area of Nallasopara (west) at around 1:30 pm on Thursday. The person, who identified himself as Yao Amed Raymond (39), not only failed to provide satisfactory answers to the patrolling team's questions but also could not produce documents, including a passport and visa, to authenticate his stay in the country.
30 grams Cocaine seized from possession
Upon frisking, the team found 30 grams of white-colored powder in his possession. Police Inspector Pramod Badhaakh immediately arrived at the spot with a testing kit and conducted a color test on the powder with a chemical reagent, confirming it to be cocaine. The estimated market value of the drug is pegged at over Rs. 3 lakh.
Raymond was taken into custody and booked under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Investigations revealed that Raymond was involved in a similar drug peddling case in the jurisdiction of the Tulinj police station. Apart from registering an offense under the NDPS Act, the process was underway to add additional charges for violating the Indian Passport Act and Foreigners Act-1967 against the accused. He has been remanded to police custody until November 16 after being produced before the court on Friday. Further investigations are underway.
