The Anti-Narcotic Cell of the Mumbai crime branch in three different raids arrested five people including two foreign nationals, and seized cocaine and mephedrone worth more than Rs 2 crore on Thursday.
In the first case the Bandra unit of ANC arrested Anwar Iqbal Sayed, 41, a resident of Umarkhadi in Dongri. ANC through local sources received information about the accused peddling mephedrone and accordingly a trap was laid and Sayed was arrested with 510 grams of mephedrone worth Rs 1.02 crore, said ANC officials.
In the second arrest, Azad Maidan unit of ANC arrested Ifoni Chikuo Pauis, 29, a resident of Nallasopara with 132 grams of cocaine worth Rs 38.60 lakh from Dongri area. According to ANC officials, a team which was patrolling Dongri area found a foreign national moving around suspiciously. When the team tried to talk to him, he tried to run after which he was chased and caught.
The accused ANC officials said was arrested by Narcotic Central Bureau and was recently released on bail. “The accused used to operate as per the demand from customers and delivered," said a police officer from ANC.
In the third case, the Ghatkopar unit of ANC arrested three people identified as Muddassar Shaikh, 24, Shanoor Patel alias Shanu Patel, 30 and Uche Chuqu, 36, a foreign national and resident of Nallasopara. "The police team received information about Muddassar coming to Masjid Bunder to sell mephedrone and arrested him. The team seized 15 grams mephedrone from him. The team then carried out a search for Patel who had accompanied Shaikh and found 30 grams of mephedrone in Patel's possession. A total of 45 mephedrone worth Rs 6.75 lakh was seized from both of them," said a police officer from ANC.
ANC officials during investigation of the two accused found the supply chain across Mumbai and its suburbs. "We found the accused were being bought from a foreign national who stayed in Nallasopara. Accordingly, a trap was laid and Uche was arrested after he was found in possession of 500 grams of mephedrone worth Rs 75 lakh," said a police officer.
Datta Nalawade, deputy commissioner of police, ANC said, "We have arrested a total of five people including two foreign nationals. We have seized 1.55 kilograms mephedrone worth Rs 1.83 crore and 132 grams of cocaine worth Rs 39.60 lakh," added Nalawade.
