Large scale smuggling of heroin from Afghanistan into Mumbai via the sea route from Iran has come to light with two big consignments of the drug valued at a whopping Rs 4,500 crore in the international market being seized by the law enforcement authorities this week.
During investigations it has been found that large quantities of heroin concealed in bags and cartons were being smuggled from Afghanistan through Iran's Chabahar port into Mumbai via Jawahar Lal Nehru port.
The Delhi Police seized the largest heroin haul ever when they discovered 354 kg of drugs worth more than ₹ 2,500 crore at a house in Faridabad,
Four people have been arrested till now and officials are investigating a narco-terrorism angle as links to Pakistani sources of funding have also emerged in the case.
"The police have arrested an Afghani national, a resident of Kashmir's Anantnag and two drug dealers from Jalandhar in Punjab in connection with the smuggling. This racket is spread across Afghanistan, Europe and several parts of India," said Commissioner of Delhi Police Special Cell Neeraj Thakur on Saturday.
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More than 100 kg of chemicals used for the heroin were also seized by the police. The overall international value of the drugs has been pegged at more than ₹ 2,500 crore.
The drugs were then sent by road for processing to a factory near Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh after which they were sold in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir among other states, Neeraj Thakur said.
The accused arrested from Punjab informed the police that the mastermind behind the drug racket, Navpreet Singh, has been operating from Portugal.
"It was also found that some of the funds for the racket were coming from Pakistan and will investigate this angle as well," Mr Thakur said.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had also busted a major smuggling racket on Monday with the detection of a huge consignment of heroin which was also smuggled into Mumbai from Iran via the sea route.
The heroin weighing 283 kg and valued at around Rs 2,000 crore in the international market was seized by the DRI Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Navi Mumbai. According to the DRI, the heroin was concealed in two containers with talcum stones and was to be transported by road to Punjab.
Prabhjit Singh, a supplier, from a border district in Punjab has been arrested in connection with the case along with two others from Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
Drug smuggling appears to be on the rise in recent weeks by both sea and air. Customs officials at the Delhi Airport had on June 28 nabbed two South African nationals with heroin worth Rs 126 crore in their possession. Heroin valued at Rs 600 crore has been seized at the Delhi International Airport in the last six months, officials said.
