International drug cartel busted
In what could be said, one of the biggest narcotics haul in national Capital, the Special Cell of Delhi police has busted an international drug cartel with the arrest of five persons including two Afghan nationals and recovered 150 kg of heroin valuing Rs 600 crore.
Police said that before exporting ‘Afghan Heroin’ to India the accused used to dissolve crude Heroin in a preservative solution and ordinary jute bags, meant for carrying various kinds of spices and condiments, were soaked and dried in this Heroin solution.
“A clandestine network of operatives ensures that all marked jute bags, were sent to the chosen site in India where the Heroin dried in the absorbent jute fibre was carefully extracted, reconstituted and processed following delicate chemical processes before being packed into one kilogram (KG) parcels,” said Manishi Chandra, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Special Cell.
“Then the packed heroin was transported towards markets of intense demand like Punjab and also for onward trans-national movement through southern states from where they reach Sri Lanka and eventually other territories,” the DCP added.
The accused have been identified as Shinwari Rehmat Gul (30), an Afghan National and he has been a regular visitor to India, Akhtar Mohammad Shinwari (31), Afghan National, Vakeel Ahmed (36), Raees Khan (43) and Dheeraj alias Deepak (21).
“Gul has long experience in working in Afghan Heroin industry and was specially sent to India by the syndicate to handhold the operations of this newly established unit at Zakir Nagar. Akhtar has been sent by the syndicate to assist Gul in setting up the operations of the Zakir Nagar unit. Whereas Vakeel and Raees was working for the syndicate in delivery of consignments and Dheeraj was an expert driver who works for the syndicate for transporting processed Heroin to various places in Punjab and other States,” said the DCP.
“Police had received specific inputs on July, 17 that smuggling of a large quantity of contraband was expected to take place and the convoy would assemble at a location in Lajpat Nagar,” said the DCP.
“Acting on the inputs, several police teams were assembled and put into action. Further input was received about the possible arrival of the convoy near Ashram flyover. A trap was laid and at around midnight hours, two persons, Dheeraj and Raees traveling in two separate cars, were apprehended,” said the DCP.
“On a careful search of their respective vehicles, a total of 60 Kg (30 Kg in each car) fine quality contraband, suspected to be Heroin, parceled in packets weighing approximately 1 Kg each, was found concealed inside an especially created cavity between the backseat and boot space of each of the two cars,” said the DCP.
“On their instance, a raid was also conducted at a location in Zakir Nagar area of South East Delhi, from where an industrial set up in the making was busted. From this site, two Afghan nationals, found to be chemical and mechanical experts, were apprehended,” said the DCP.
“From this site, a total of another 60 kg of processed Afghan Heroin was recovered. By a firsthand observation of the processing set-up found at the site and the quantity of the recovered Heroin, it is inferred that this consignment may have actually been processed somewhere else and was kept there for further transportation,” said the DCP.
“Apart from the Afghan nationals, another accused Vakeel, was found who had just finished loading his car with contraband. This Heroin was also concealed in the similarly crafted cavity as in the earlier intercepted two vehicles. Another 30 kg of heroin was seized from this car, taking the total seizure to 150 kg,” said the DCP.
“Police have also recovered two semi-automatic pistols and twenty live cartridges from the possession of the accused,” said the DCP adding that further investigation is going on.
