MUMBAI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted several national and international drug syndicates, apprehending a total of nine individuals and confiscating cocaine and alprazolam valued at Rs 135 crore.
Among the arrested, three are foreign nationals, according to a senior NCB official.
These operations resulted in the seizure of 6.9 kg of cocaine and approximately 200 kg of alprazolam, a controlled substance used for treating anxiety disorders. The NCB team detained two Bolivian women and uncovered 5 kg of cocaine concealed within various items such as undergarments, toothpaste, clothing, cosmetic tubes, soap, footwear, and makeup kits at a hotel in the Khetwadi area of south Mumbai.
The confiscated drugs were in the form of both powder and liquid or paste, making them easy to conceal among other articles. Gloria Ilorca C was found in possession of 2.18 kg of cocaine, while Evelina had 2.82 kg of cocaine in her baggage. The combined worth of these narcotics was estimated at Rs 20 crore. The NCB official revealed that both women had been dispatched to India with the drugs by a syndicate based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with the mastermind also situated in Brazil.
For each successful drug smuggling operation as "mules," these women received USD 3,000. In a separate operation, NCB Mumbai apprehended Nigerian national Paul Ikenna, also known as Bossman, aged 60, in September from Kharghar in neighboring Navi Mumbai and confiscated 2 kg of cocaine from his possession. His interrogation led to the arrest of Sakir and Sufiyan from Surat in Gujarat.
Ikenna had been involved in drug trafficking for an extended period, having been initially detained in India in 1989 and later released. He was arrested again in 2001 with 11 kg of heroin and subsequently convicted. Furthermore, he was implicated in a case detected by the NCB Bengaluru in January.
Although he should have been deported upon his release from prison, Ikenna remained in India. The NCB also arrested the owner of a flat in the Mira Road area near Mumbai for providing illicit shelter to Ikenna, and a bank official was detained for aiding in the laundering of drug money.
Ikenna was connected to a Nigeria-based syndicate involved in a barter trade in which tramadol, a controlled medicinal drug, was exchanged for cocaine. This syndicate sourced cocaine from Brazil and distributed it in India. In return, Ikenna allegedly supplied the syndicate with tramadol, which was in high demand in Nigeria.
In a third operation, the NCB Mumbai team intercepted a vehicle near Shirur in Pune district on October 6 and discovered suspicious-looking powder and lab equipment. The questioning of a passenger in the vehicle led the NCB to an underground laboratory in nearby Midagulwadi, where 173.35 kg of alprazolam was found along with a substantial quantity of raw materials. Another "laboratory" in Manchar in Pune district yielded 25.95 kg of alprazolam and raw materials.
In Hyderabad, a man attempting to sell alprazolam was apprehended. The illegally manufactured alprazolam was sold primarily in Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, often mixed into toddy. Key figures within the syndicate have been identified, and further investigations are underway, as stated by the NCB official.
(With agency inputs)
