Mumbai: Sleuths of Crime Branch Unit 3 police busted a drug den and arrested a youth with cannabis and mephedrone worth Rs 2.90 lakh along with equipments to make the drugs worth Rs 6 lakh.
The youth was arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
In a crackdown on drugs and drug peddlers, officers of Crime Branch Unit 3 were conducting rounds near Chembur, Deonar and Kurla on Saturday, where they saw a youth moving suspiciously with a black sack bag on his shoulders.
Upon interception, the youth tried to flee from the spot but was caught by the police team after a brief chase. After being caught, the youth identified himself as Nikhil Satish Sharma, 26, a resident of Chembur Camp.
Subsequently, police checked his bag, in which they found one kilogram of cannabis (ganja) and 54 grams of mephedrone also known as MD worth Rs 2.90 lakh.
Sharma was immediately arrested and questioned to ascertain the source of the drug, after which he confessed that he produced the drugs at his friend’s house in Chembur.
Acting on this information, police conducted a raid at his friend’s house near Mahul village in Chembur, where they found three hydroponic grow tents, potted plants, LED lights, timers, PH soil tester, hydroponic nutrients, seeds of different types of cannabis, paper towels used for planting the seeds among others collectively worth Rs 6 lakh.
Police said, Sharma browsed through internet to learn about the new and latest techniques to grow drugs in the house itself. In a bid to know his clientele, police have seized his mobile phone and laptop, which could nab other drug peddlers as well.
