Mephedrone worth Rs 52.64 crore seized from different parts of Mumb

Anti Terrorist Squad of Maharashtra has seized 129 kilograms of Mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 52.64 crore from different parts of Mumbai. Pic credit/ Anurag Kamble

In a major crackdown on drug racket, Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra has seized 129 kilograms of Mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 52.64 crore from different parts of Mumbai. ATS also seized cash worth over Rs 1 crore during the drug busted. ATS has arrested five people who have been sent to ATS custody by the holiday court and sleuths of the agency are unearthing more such networks after these arrests.

According to ATS, an information was received by Vikhroli unit on 9th September about two persons arriving at BEST bus stop of Bhandup pumping station on Eastern Express Highway (Towards Mumbai) with the drug. Following which, ATS laid the trap and subsequently seized 9 kg of MD from them. During their interrogation, cops arrested three more persons and recovered another 120 kg Mephedrone from them. "One kg of this drug costs around Rs 40 lakh in the international market and the seized value of the MD is around Rs 51.60 crore. We have also recovered cash worth Rs 1.04 crore from one of the accused who claims to have received the amount as a payment after selling the drugs," informed an officer from ATS.

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During the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the accused used advanced technology and high-quality chemicals to produce the drug in large quantities. A search operation of ATS is searching the factory at Navi Mumbai and the surrounding areas which may further provide leads for the investigation. The arrested accused are connected to one of the biggest MD drug-selling networks in Mumbai and the sophistication of their product is also striking," said the DCP Vikram Deshmane.

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The three arrested accused are identified as Abdul Razzak Sheikh (47), Irfan Sheikh (43), Suleman Sheikh (28), residents of Vikhroli and Naresh Mhaskar and Jitendra Parmar, from Panvel respectively. Abdul, Irfan and Suleman have been produced in the holiday court which have been remanded till 16th September, other 2 accused will be produced in the court on Wednesday.

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