In a span of three months, Navi Mumbai Anti Narcotics Unit (ANU) has seized contraband worth Rs 3 crore and are currently in the process of locating the source of Ganja at Visakhapatnam and LSD in Goa. Making Navi Mumbai a drug-free city was one of the visions that Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe had while taking charge in the city following which the Narcotics unit have been taking the action against many people for the sale and possession of contrabands. This year, within three months, the unit has been able to seize contrabands worth more than Rs 3 crore.
Impactful Crackdown On Contraband Trade
In the month of January, 18 cases were registered by the ANU in which 37 accused were booked. The unit successfully seized 108 gram Mephedrone worth Rs 10.80 lakh and 22 gram MDMA Ecstasy worth Rs 5.50 lakh making a total seizure of Rs 17.25 lakh.
In the month of February, a total of Rs 1.20 crore worth contrabands were seized that included 697 gram Mephedrone worth Rs 69.64 lakh, 43.945 kg ganja worth Rs Rs 8.36 lakh, 298 gram brown sugar worth Rs 29.80 lakh, one gram LSD paper worth Rs 7.95 lakh, gutka worth Rs 4.44 lakh and hukka worth Rs 36,730.
A total of 41 cases were registered in February in which 63 were arrested. Meanwhile in the month of March, 131 cases were registered and 171 accused booked and contrabands worth Rs 1.80 crore were seized. The seized contrabands included Mephedrone worth Rs 48.54 lakh, ganja worth Rs 32 lakh, LSD paper worth Rs 22.80 lakh and charas worth Rs 55.68 lakh.
Tracing Drug Manufacturing Units, Navigating Challenges, And International Connections
“Mephedrone which is also called as MD, is mostly manufactured in small scale industries at isolated places. We had traced two such manufacturing units in Khopoli and sealed them. We continue to look for more such manufacturing units by conducting random raids. Ganja is manufactured at the naxal area of Visakhapatnam. Reaching the naxal area is the biggest challenge for us. Meanwhile, regarding LSD, we had got a tip that it was being brought by a Nigerian at Goa. We followed the lead but could not trace the accused. LSD is brought from European countries and not manufactured in India,” Police inspector Neeraj Chaudhary (ANU) said.
ANU's College Awareness Programs Lead To Drug Distribution Bust
The unit has also been conducting awareness programs against the drugs with colleges and this year, they have conducted similar programs at 24 different colleges. “Due to one such program, we got a tip from a student about the LSD distribution and we could nab some of the accused including civil engineering students. LSD is widely used various party and we have now closed major route of its distribution with the arrests made last month. Accused arrested in all the cases this year, continue to be in the jail and none are out on bail,” he added.
