‘Will ruthlessly crush cartels’: Shah on massive Mumbai drug bust

Narcotics Control Bureau seized 349 kg cocaine worth Rs 1,745 crore in Mumbai, busting a transnational cartel under “Operation White Strike”, with contraband concealed in imported machinery and warehouses, following months of intelligence-led investigation

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted a major international narcotics ring, seizing 349 kg of high-grade cocaine worth Rs 1,745 crore in Mumbai.

Announcing the drug haul on X, Shah asserted, “We are resolved to ruthlessly crush the narcotics cartel.” “The @narcoticsbureau has cracked down on a major international narcotics ring, seizing 349 kg of high-grade cocaine worth Rs 1,745 crore in Mumbai. This is a trailblazing example of a bottom-to-top approach where the agency traced back a smaller consignment to net a massive network. Congratulations to Team NCB for this monumental success,” he wrote.

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The major chunk of the seized contraband was found concealed in the cavity of machinery imported from abroad. The NCB busted the network after the driver of a van in which the first lot was seized spilled the beans during sustained interrogation. “The seizure is significant because about 200-300 kg cocaine is usually seized in India every year on an average,” it said.

The NCB conducted Operation White Strike in which it uncovered a large transnational cocaine trafficking syndicate, culmination of more than six months of sustained intelligence development and surveillance by NCB.

“Acting on specific and credible inputs, multiple teams launched coordinated strikes in the Kalamboli-Bhiwandi corridor (Navi Mumbai-Thane region), exposing a highly organised transnational drug supply network using warehouse infrastructure and concealed transport mechanisms,” the Union home ministry said in a statement.

In the two-stage operation, NCB officers initially intercepted a Maruti Suzuki Super Carry vehicle bearing registration number MH-03-DV-3803 near the KWC Warehousing Complex, Sector KWC, Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai. “Search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 136 packets of cocaine, each weighing approximately 1 kg.

The packets were found in cartons wherein cocaine was concealed using cricket pads and gloves,” it said.
One accused was apprehended on the spot, it said. During sustained interrogation, the accused revealed the existence of another concealed consignment stored in Bhiwandi, a major warehouse hub.

“Acting swiftly, NCB team conducted second operation at a warehouse located at Laxman Compound, near Rehnal Bus Stand, Rehnal Gaon, Bhiwandi (District Thane), resulting in the recovery of an additional 213 packets (1 kg each) of cocaine,” the ministry said.

During the investigation, it surfaced that the cocaine had been concealed inside the cavity of machinery imported to India. “Each packet was packed in 9 layers of the different types of polythene including one layer of black greasy substance,” it said.

The NCB said the use of Bhiwandi’s warehouse ecosystem points to a structured logistics chain involving import of machinery with concealed cocaine, storage and retrieval of cocaine packets in warehouses and downstream supply of narcotics. The agency is on the hunt for the mastermind and an intensive investigation is underway to apprehend the handlers, financiers, and intended receivers of the consignment.