Navi Mumbai: Mephedrone worth more than Rs 1 crore seized, man held

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Police have arrested a man in Navi Mumbai and seized from him mephedrone, a banned drug, worth more than Rs 1 crore, an official told news agency PTI.

The 29-year-old accused was arrested in Vashi area during an operation conducted by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Navi Mumbai police on Tuesday, the official told PTI.

The accused, identified as Shamshuddin Abdul Kader Etingal, is a resident of suburban Goregaon, reported PTI.

"The ANC had received a tip-off that a man would be coming to Vashi to sell mephedrone. Accordingly, a trap was laid near a shop and Etingal was nabbed when he was spotted there. A total of 1,011 grams of mephedrone worth Rs 1,01,10,000 was recovered from him," the police official told PTI.

Mephedrone, commonly known as MD and meow meow, is banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 520 kg of ganja (cannabis) worth Rs 1.04 crore from a truck close to the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border in Nagpur district, an official told PTI on Tuesday.

Based on a tip-off, officials of the DRI in Nagpur intercepted a truck as it passed the Borkhedi toll booth on Monday morning, the official told PTI.

On examining the vehicle, officials found a built-in cavity between the driver's cabin and the cargo portion of the truck. At least 242 packets containing 520 kg of ganja, valued at Rs 1.04 crore, were concealed in the cavity, the official told PTI.

Two persons travelling in the truck have been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the official told PTI, adding that investigations are underway.

In another case, police have seized gutka, a banned product, worth nearly Rs 16 lakh from a tempo in Mumbai and arrested one person in this connection, an official told PTI.

Based on a tip-off, the police laid a trap and intercepted the tempo at Pramila Nagar in Dahisar area on Saturday, the official from MHB police station told PTI on Tuesday.

The police seized the gutka and arrested a 31-year-old man, the official told PTI, adding the vehicle was impounded.

Efforts were on to trace three other associates of the accused, the official told PTI.

The arrested accused already has multiple cases against him. In the present case, he has been booked under relevant Indian Penal Code sections including 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, with intent to commit an offence) and provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, the police told PTI.

The sale and consumption of gutka, scented and flavoured tobacco has been banned in Maharashtra since 2012.

(With inputs from PTI)