Mumbai: Crime Branch Busts Drug Gang Transaction
Mumbai, 17th March 2023: In a special investigation, the Mumbai crime branch’s anti-extortion section busted a transnational drug gang supplying European countries with ketamine, which was then sold at parties for anywhere between $60 and $100 per gramme, according to police. The US and the UAE were further given illegal painkillers, sleeping aids, and sex enhancers by the same cartel.
A special squad of the anti-extortion cell (AEC) and the anti-narcotics cell (ANC), led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Datta Nalawade, conducted raids in Andheri as a result of a tip-off, according to Lakhmi Gautam, joint commissioner of police (crime). Together with the arrest of two suspects, a large number of drugs were found. The linkages are now being connected by additional research.
Vijay Rane and Mohammed Aslam Shaikh, the accused, work for a courier service. According to the police, the mastermind behind supply and manufacturing has fled. Police from the ANC claimed to have found 15 kilogrammes and 743 grammes of ketamine, totalling almost Rs 8 crore. The synthetic substance is currently in high demand for parties in Australia, New Zealand, and European nations, where the drugs were shipped.
The drugs were produced by the gang in an undisclosed location in India, transported to Mumbai, and then shipped to the intended locations. Police said the group has been active for four years but has never been apprehended.
According to police, hundreds of crores of dollars worth of drugs have been shipped to these nationalities over the past four years via air courier, suggesting that the gang in India is in communication with several different international actors.
The criminal division reports that during the raid, 23,410 strips of illegal tablets that were being shipped to the US and the UAE were found. According to police, sex enhancer drugs are highly sought-after in the UAE. The cost of these tablets is Rs 59 lakh.
