The Narcotics Control Bureau has seized 74,000 capsules of illicitly diverted pharmaceutical drugs and 2.44 lakh counterfeit cigarettes at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The consignment was destined for London.
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The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has made a significant seizure at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, confiscating 74,000 capsules of illicitly diverted pharmaceutical drugs and 2.44 lakh counterfeit cigarettes. The haul was discovered at the air cargo terminal, following a tip-off regarding an international syndicate involved in illicit pharmaceutical drug trafficking from India to overseas destinations.
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According to an official statement from the NCB, the agency’s Mumbai zonal unit initiated the operation after receiving intelligence about a network operating to procure pharmaceutical drugs from India and divert them for sale to offshore buyers. Surveillance was conducted over a period of time, which eventually led investigators to two containers that belonged to logistics companies. The movement of these containers was stopped at the airport’s air cargo terminal for further inspection.
The NCB team, which was involved in the operation on Friday and Saturday, managed to seize approximately 29.6 kilograms of diverted pharmaceutical drugs, as well as the counterfeit cigarettes. The pharmaceutical drugs, mostly in capsule form, are valued at around Rs 75 lakh.
The illicit goods, which were concealed among food items, were reportedly destined for London. The NCB has identified two courier and logistics companies as part of the ongoing investigation, which aims to uncover more details regarding the syndicate behind the diversion of pharmaceutical products and the sale of counterfeit goods.
NCB disposes of 5,489 kg of drugs seized during multiple raids in Maharashtra
The Mumbai Zonal Unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has disposed of about 5,500 kg of illicit drugs seized in various cases wherein numerous offenders, including several foreign nationals, were arrested.
A High-Level Drug Disposal Committee (HLDDC) was constituted by the guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court which comprised Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Maneesh Kumar, Deputy Director General (DG) of NCB Amit Ghawate, and Additional Commissioner of Police (Anti-Narcotics Cell-Mumbai) Rajendra Shirtode.
This committee reviewed the cases and only the fit cases were selected for the pre-trial disposal.
Accordingly, all the legal terms were complied with, after which the seized drugs were disposed of through incineration on Thursday and Friday at Mumbai Waste Management Ltd, Taloja, Maharashtra.
Among the drugs destroyed by NCB, about 10 kg consisted of cocaine. The drug was primarily sourced from Latin America and illegally trafficked into India through concealment by mules who travelled to the country via multiple layovers at various halts to evade detection.
Besides this, more than 52,130 bottles containing about 5,479 kg of illegally procured codeine-based cough syrups (CBCS) were also disposed of. These CBCS bottles were seized in multiple cases wherein the syndicates operated primarily from Thane and Dharavi. According to NCB, they procured the contraband through distant suppliers, often using fake documents. The illicitly diverted drugs were transported using roadways, trains and even logistic cargo consignments. Numerous persons, including kingpins, financers, carriers and associates have been arrested during the raids by NCB, including some few who had been previously registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
“NCB has been robustly engaged towards ensuring a drug-free society in the directive of which it has clamped down the inter-state as well as international drug syndicates by curbing the drug trafficking, bursting the financial linkages,” a statement by the law-enforcement agency said.
(With inputs from PTI)