Navi Mumbai Man Emerges as Key Player in International Cocaine Syndicate
Mumbai, 2nd June 2026: What began as a routine narcotics seizure by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in January 2025 soon exposed a sophisticated international drug trafficking network allegedly led by a 32-year-old former Navi Mumbai resident with global connections.
The case surfaced after NCB officials intercepted a parcel containing 200 grams of high-grade South American cocaine hidden inside a projector that was set to be shipped from Mumbai to Australia through an air cargo route. Investigators described it as the first major cocaine smuggling attempt detected on the India-Australia cargo corridor, which had previously been associated mainly with synthetic drugs.
The investigation led officers to Navi Mumbai-based Jayakrishna Gopakumar, from whom authorities seized narcotics worth nearly ₹200 crore. The haul included cocaine bricks, hydroponic cannabis, and cannabis-infused gummies.
However, investigators were stunned when they traced the operation to alleged kingpin Navin Chichkar, a former Navi Mumbai resident with a postgraduate degree in psychology from a UK institution. According to NCB officials, Chichkar had transformed himself into an international drug trafficker operating from Thailand and Malaysia.
Officials said Chichkar had initially remained off the agency’s radar despite allegedly being involved in synthetic drug and cannabis trafficking. His role became clear only after Gopakumar’s arrest.
On May 28, 2025, the NCB tracked Chichkar to Malaysia, from where he was deported to India in connection with the ongoing investigation. Months later, his brother Dhiraj Chichkar was also arrested at Mumbai airport after arriving from Malaysia. Authorities allege Dhiraj played an active role in supervising drug distribution and handling financial transactions linked to the syndicate.
During interrogation, investigators discovered that Chichkar and Gopakumar were childhood friends from Navi Mumbai who reconnected in 2020. Gopakumar reportedly approached Chichkar seeking hydroponic cannabis for personal use, eventually becoming a distributor within the network.
According to the NCB, Chichkar left India illegally through the Nepal border in 2021 before travelling through the UAE, the UK, and Thailand. Investigators claim he built international links with suppliers and traffickers during this period.
The agency alleges that Chichkar established contacts with a US-based supplier named Kasim Hussein at a cannabis exhibition in Thailand in 2023. Through Hussein, Chichkar was introduced to another associate, Mohammed Ali, who allegedly became part of the cocaine trafficking operations.
Investigators further revealed that Chichkar sourced cannabis from a US national identified as “Mr Wyatt,” whom he reportedly met in Goa in 2019. The drugs were allegedly supplied through local distributors operating in Navi Mumbai.
The NCB also uncovered the use of air cargo channels to smuggle narcotics into India. Officials allege that a customs clearing agent, Harsh Joshi, assisted the syndicate in clearing drug-laden consignments arriving from the United States. Authorities claim that between April 2024 and January 2025, at least 12 such consignments containing cocaine and cannabis were brought into Mumbai.
One of the most significant episodes in the investigation involved an alleged emergency request for 40 kilograms of hydroponic cannabis from Mumbai-based buyers. Investigators say Chichkar sourced the consignment from Thailand and arranged its delivery to India through a carrier identified as “Danny.”
When local carriers reportedly refused to transport the consignment to Mumbai, Chichkar allegedly paid additional money to ensure delivery. Parts of this consignment were later recovered during the raid on Gopakumar’s residence.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now initiated a parallel money laundering investigation to examine the financial transactions and international funding channels linked to the syndicate.
Officials believe the case highlights the growing sophistication of international narcotics networks operating through India using global supply chains, encrypted coordination, and air cargo routes.
