18 December,2023 03:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representational Pic/File
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested a Nigerian national, allegedly a key member of the drug smuggling syndicate, an official said on Monday, the PTI reported.
The suspect was nabbed from Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, he said.
The accused was allegedly operating and financing a drug cartel, he said.
According to a DRI official, the DRI's Mumbai unit had seized 2.4 kg of cocaine at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and arrested a member of the cartel on October 14, as per the PTI.
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During interrogation, the arrested accused revealed the name of a Nigerian national who was financing and operating the cartel from Greater Noida, he said.
After sustained efforts and surveillance over a couple of months, a team of DRI officials recently tracked down the accused and apprehended him, the official said.
The DRI team recovered SIM cards, mobile phones and passports issued from different countries during the arrest, he said.
The accused was brought to Mumbai on transit remand and sent to judicial custody by court, the official said.
Meanwhile, in an another incident, the DRI had in October busted an illicit drug manufacturing facility located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar of Maharashtra.
During the operation, the authorities had also seized a substantial haul of 107 litres of liquid mephedrone, with an estimated street value of Rs. 160 crore.
The operation had represented a follow-up action following an initial probe initiated after the DRI's Pune unit, in collaboration with the Ahmedabad Crime Branch from the neighbouring state of Gujarat, had raided a factory in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on October 20, the report further stated. During that operation, authorities confiscated mephedrone, ketamine, and cocaine, all amounting to an estimated Rs 250 crore in the illicit market.
The officials from the DRI, had earlier apprehended four individuals and confiscated approximately 7 kg of cocaine in a series of cases in Mumbai. The seized drugs hold an estimated value of Rs 70 crore in the international illicit market.
(with PTI inputs)
