The Mumbai Unit of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested one person and seized 210 kilograms of Ganja worth Rs 4 crore in Khopoli on Thursday. The alleged trafficker was involved in supplying drugs in Mumbai and adjoining areas especially Govandi and Mankhurd for the last few years, according to the agency officials.
Acting on a tip-off that a drug syndicate was to deliver a huge consignment sourced from Andhra Pradesh-Odisha area to Mumbai, a team of NCB officials formed a strategy to nab the trafficker and laid a trap.
They tracked the vehicle and pursued it when it went off the expected route. "The driver changed his course and diverted the vehicle off the route around Khopoli area exhibiting dodging maneuvers of a seasoned trafficker,” said an NCB official.
The officials finally caught up with the vehicle and interrogated the driver about the suspicious goods in the vehicle. When the driver could not give satisfactory replies, they conducted a thorough search of the vehicle and recovered 98 packets sealed with brown adhesive tapes, a common method for packing drugs, following which he was placed under arrest, the vehicle and contraband were seized in accordance with the legal procedures.
During interrogation, the driver confessed to his drug trafficking history. He mentioned that due to recent consignment seizures, few of which were done by the agency, the demand was high among local drug peddlers in Mumbai he said. He procured the drug from Pune which in turn was sourced from a supplier in Andhra Pradesh-Odisha, he added.
Interrogation revealed that he was a seasoned trafficker who had been in the business for around 4-5 years and was involved in multiple inter-state transportation trips for the drug movement.
Though the agency was on his trail, he remained elusive by adopting tactics to evade arrest. The drugs were sourced from Andhra Pradesh-Odisha area which is a hotbed for Ganja cultivation, agency officials said.
Investigation is on to get information about other associates, contraband storage and supply links of the syndicate spread across various states of India, officials said.
