An international drug cartel has been busted by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police , in a joint operation with Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Gujarat. A 22 year old Afghan national has been arrested in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area on Saturday. Police has also seized almost four kilogrammes of fine heroin, valued around Rs 20 crore in the international market, from his possession.
The Special commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said that the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Crime Branch had busted an international drug trafficking racket last month, in which five people were arrested and 21.4kg of heroin, valued at Rs 130 crore in the international market, was recovered. He stated, “During interrogation, we found the consignment was sent from Afghanistan by one Mohammad Zameel, under the patronage of Haji Farid. The heroin from Afghanistan is being smuggled through Pakistan’s border (mainly via drones) and through the Arabian Sea route (on containers and fishing boats). After that, the ANTF team arrested Pankaj Vaid, alias Sanju Baba, from (an undisclosed town in) Himachal Pradesh. He was the main link between heroin cartel operators based in Afghanistan and the single-point contact person for supplying heroin in Punjab after procuring the drug from peddlers in Delhi. “
Ravindra Singh Yadav also told that, ” Mohammad Wahidullah was allegedly involved in supplying contraband narcotic substances in Delhi-NCR. Police also recovered 3.005 kilogrammes of heroin from his possession. During interrogation, Wahidullah disclosed that he came to India in 2016 on a medical visa for six months and got involved in the supply of drugs with his father, Mustafa Stanikzai, also an Afghan national, and others. He said his father, Rahimullah, and his business partner Mustafa, had a unit in Uttar Pradesh to process and supply narcotic substances.”
Yadav also said that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), under the guidance of the Ministry of Home Affairs, is coordinating with all the central agencies and state police forces to undertake combined operations against drug trafficking.