The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday seized a shipment destined to Qatar and found 580 grams of green leafy substance purported to be marijuana.
On the basis of intelligence developed by Mumbai zonal unit, a team of NCB Mumbai seized the contraband from a private courier service in the city. “The contraband seized was concealed in a submersible boring water pump. The material inside the casing of the submersible boring water pump was taken out and contraband was kept inside it, wrapped in aluminium foil and rolled with copper wire to avoid detection from screening,” said a senior NCB officer. “The contraband was sourced from Karnataka and was destined to Qatar via Mumbai,” he said.
Qatar has stringent anti-drug laws for possession, use, and trafficking in illegal drugs. Offenders can face long-term imprisonment and heavy fines. NCB sources stated that utmost care was taken to conceal the drugs in the shipment which was mis-declared. “This is an unclaimed seizure. Further investigation is underway to nab consignee and consignor,” said the officer. The agency has registered a case under relevant sections of The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, commonly referred to as the NDPS Act.
In a similar case this month, a courier parcel scrutiny led the NCB to seize bud or curated marijuana worth Rs 50 lakh in the international market. Two persons have been placed under arrest. According to the NCB, they received intelligence of banned contraband being smuggled into the country through couriers. Subsequently, a team of NCB Mumbai led by zonal director Sameer Wankhede intercepted one parcel at Lonavala post office.
A check of the parcel led to seizure of 1,036 grams of curated marijuana. During further investigation on who was to receive the parcel, the agency probe led to further seizing 74 grams of bud at Bhimashankar CHS at Nerul, Navi Mumbai. They arrested Shrimay Shah, 26, a resident of Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Omkar Tupe, 28, a resident of Nerul. The source of seized contraband is Canada and was destined to Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the agency said.
