Narcotics Control Bureau Archives - Lokmarg

Mumbai Narco Unit Busts Inter-State Drug Cartel; Five Held

By LokMarg 14th December 2022

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai has busted an inter-state drug trafficking syndicate supplying drugs in Dharavi, Mumbai. Five persons have also been arrested in a well-coordinated operation conducted over four days, as informed by the NCB.

A total of illicitly diverted 1407 CBCS bottles (140 kgs) and 6000 Nitrazepam tablets (3.6 kgs) were seized from Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai in multiple on-field operations, confirmed by the NCB.

NCB had information from internal sources that a Mumbai-based syndicate was actively involved in the inter-state trafficking of illicitly diverted pharmaceutical drugs.

According to NCB during the investigation, a couple Z.Qureshi and S.Z.Qureshi was identified as based in Kopar khairane, Navi Mumbai who was allegedly dealing in the procurement and supply of drugs. Later it was found, that they used to store drugs on the premise of Kopar khairane. Moreover, they were distributing the drugs mainly in Dharavi, Mumbai.

Based on the specific output, 920 CBCS bottles were seized from their possession.

The couple arrested by NCB revealed that they used to procure the drugs from a person named R. Singh during the interrogation.

According to NCB, a trap was laid to apprehend Singh at Sion. Soon, Singh was apprehended and confessed his involvement as a carrier in operation and street-level peddling. He was also managing the logistical support to other persons for the movement and distribution of the drugs.

After interrogating the said three persons, more drug-deal information was intercepted. Another distributor from Mira Road was obtained. On the basis of that, discreet surveillance was mounted in Mira Road, Thane area.

Subsequent intelligence confirmed that a person named D. Kaushal was arriving with a consignment for handover. As soon as the suspect arrived on Mira road, Thane, he was immediately intercepted and 6000 Nitrazepam tablets and 7 CBCS bottles were recovered. During further investigation, a person named Pandey based in the Kandivali area of Mumbai was identified. He was involved in procurement and further illicit drug supply in Mumbai.

Tactful management and specific intelligence confirmed that he was to deliver a CBCS consignment on December 12. Immediately, another follow-up field operation was launched.

The team waited for Pandey to arrive for the said delivery. In a short while, Pandey confirmed his arrival and as the NCB team physically confirmed his presence with consignment, he was intercepted. During a search, 480 CBCS bottles were seized from him.

The investigation has indicated that the syndicate has linkages with inter-state suppliers and the drugs were being procured through Dharavi. Some of the suspects are already arrested by the police. (ANI)

Pak Narcotics Bureau Recovers Crystal Meth From Australia-Bound Parcel

By LokMarg 24th September 2022

Pakistan bureau for combating narcotics smuggling and use has recently confiscated a 49 kg drug consignment and foiled an attempt to smuggle crystal meth to Australia, media reports said.

Drug abuse is taking a heavy toll on the youth in Pakistan, especially students, and fuelling a life of addiction and crime. This latest Thursday crackdown on drugs led to failed attempts by the smugglers to smuggle the drug in Australia via a local carrier company located on Shahrah-e-Faisal, the most popular freeway in Karachi, reported Pakistan Observer.
Drug parcel was hidden inside women’s and children’s clothes, the media portal reported citing an ANF spokesperson.

The Anti-Narcotic Force has filed a case against the smuggler under the anti-narcotics act. This is not an isolated incident as earlier on August 3, the ANF seized three kg of crystal ice from an Afghan national at the Pak-Afghan border in Chaman, Balochistan province.

During a routine checking at the Pak-Afghan border, the crystal meth was seized from an Afghan national named Imaruddin, reported Pakistan Observer.

In this particular case, the accused was trying to smuggle narcotics to Pakistan from Afghanistan via the Chaman border, the Anti-Narcotic Force officials said. A case was registered against the Afghan national under the anti-narcotics act.

In December last year, Pakistan then State Minister of Interior Shahryar Afridi said a survey has shown that a large of students in the Pakistani capital take crystal meth.

Crystal methamphetamine, also called ice, is a drug that consists of colorless crystals of varying sizes and shapes that are used through smoking and injecting into one’s body.

Speaking at a drug awareness event, Afridi said that 75 pc of female students and 45 pc of male students, including from well-known educational institutions, have been found to be taking the drug.

According to the ANF, cannabis has remained very popular among drug users across Karachi making it the second largest city for consuming the drug in the world. The drug scene in various parts of Pakistan is getting complex and fluid.

Till some years ago, policy-makers in Pakistan were concerned about the consumption of mild stimulants by students and out-of-school youth to stay alert and to boost energy, and the use of cannabis and excessive alcohol consumption.

By 2010 the situation changed dramatically with the arrival of cocaine and heroin in the region. These drugs were brought into the region from producing countries and primarily meant for export to large consuming nations in Asia. The situation is grave not only in Islamabad and Karachi but in almost every part of Pakistan, the ANF added.

The major factors behind the increasing rate of drug trafficking in Pakistan are refugees from Afghanistan. Afghanistan is the world’s leading producer of cannabis and different types of other substances. There are hundreds of refining labs in Afghanistan, many next along the Pakistan-Afghan border, turning substances into heroin.

Cannabis and heroin flow from Afghanistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan from various illegal channels, especially through illegal border crossings. From there these drugs are supplied to different areas of Pakistan by rail, air, and truck.

There are very little treatment options for drug abusers in Pakistan. Those that do exist have come under harsh criticism from advocacy groups including, Human Rights Organisations. State-run centres may appear more like a jail, offer very little, and consist of heavy detoxification, medications, and basic therapies, it said and urged citizens to come together to combat the menace. (ANI)

‘All Youth Are Curious About Drugs; Only The Rich Has Access’

By LokMarg 8th October 2021

Dr Vani Kulhalli, a Mumbai-based child & adolescent psychiatrist says it is common for the youth to experiment new things for stimulation. She finds it unfair to selectively target Bollywood for substance abuse

Every human being needs a certain amount of challenge, something difficult to win over to give them a high – a certain amount of stimulation. This trait is particularly evident in growing years when, as an adolescent or a youth, one wants to try out or experiment new things, taking some risks. And there is really no limit setting over there.

Use of banned substance among the youth also falls under this category. On a lower scale, it could be compared to violating traffic rules or other rash behaviour on road. I would particularly like to say that it is not related to any social or economic status. What sets things apart is access. The degree of one’s access or affluence decides what he or she finds stimulating or challenging.

Having said that parental supervision and participation in their children’s lives is important. For children coming from privileged families, where parents often lead busy lives, a lack of supervision is generally witnessed. In addition, children have easy access to a luxurious lifestyle. They really don’t have anything to strive for, which induces a sense of meaninglessness to their lives. In comparison, a middle class child would long for and strive to achieve a certain thing in life.

ALSO READ: ‘Wrong To Assume Entire Bollywood Is Doing Drugs’

However, the longing for experimenting spans across economic strata. This is what leads the youth to break taboos. Some may try drugs while others steal sleeping pills from grandma’s box, pinch a cigarette from daddy’s packet, or snatch a swig from the bar cabinet. Taking things farther, if one is affluent, one may try out substance that are fairly expensive, not easily available and considered ‘hip’ in their circuit.

This is part of growing up and it has little to do exclusively with Bollywood children. The filmdom is full of stable families and responsible parents. Even when we come across some cases of broken or troubled relationships between parents, there is something called as a cohort effect, which is a behaviour unique to one generation. The child’s reaction in such cases will be different to what could be their parents’ reaction in similar situation.

Irrespective of the family or the affluence status, what makes all the difference is if the child knows there is a certain kind of supervision from the parents, it will act as a protective ring for him. If there is a warm relationship between the child and the parents where the child can express one’s fears or feelings, it will provide him or her a sense of belonging.

Parents need to understand one thing that between the age of 15years and 25 years, these things do happen but they should not take it as a judgment of the character of their child. They have to consider this as an alarm bell. They have to sit down, open a conversation as to what happened and how it happened.

As Told To Mamta Sharma

3 Arrests That Disclose Drug Mafia’s Nexus With Filmdom

By LokMarg 8th September 2020

In a battery of recent arrests from film industry, the most high-profile being the arrest of Rhea Chakraborty on Tuesday, an unholy nexus of Indian filmdom and drug mafia is emerging to the fore.

On September 4, Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi was arrested for allegedly being part of a drug cartel, along with several others from Kerala and Karnataka, including an African national. According to Bengaluru Police, the Narcotics Control Bureau had arrested several drug peddlers on August 21, which led them to Kannada film personalities procuring and passing on the drugs.

The glamworld and drug mafia links become clearer from the remand application of actor Rhea Chakraborty filed in Mumbai court by the NCB officials. The plea has stated that Chakraborty had been an active member of a “drug syndicate” and at times even financed for drug procurement along with his late boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput.

The Bureau said that Chakraborty’s disclosure/statement had made it clear that she was connected with drug supplies. Her involvement in the procurement of drugs and financial transactions is believed to be linked to Dipesh Sawant, Showik Chakraborty and Miranda, all three now in custody.

On Tuesday, while the national media was busy reporting arrest of actress Rhea Chakraborty in Mumbai, yet another Kannada actress, Sanjana Galrani, was arrested by the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru Police in Sandalwood drug bust racket (Kannada film industry is known as Sandalwood a la Bollywood).

LokMarg spoke to several narcotics experts who reaffirmed that there exists a deep nexus between the glamour world and drug mafia in the country. Besides, Bollywood and Sandalwood, Telugu, Malayalam and other regional cine industries are involved in this cartel. Other than the film world, the fashion & advertisement are also believed to be the part of this nexus.