Mira Bhayandar: The anti-narcotics cell (ANC) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police have registered 64 drug related cases and arrested 64 peddlers with seizures amounting more than Rs 11 crore in the past 12 months between 1, January to 31, December, 2024.
Notably, 18 out of all the accused turned out to be Nigerian nationals-most of them found to be illegally staying in the country without valid documents. All the accused have been booked under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act-1985.
While the seizure was limited to Rs 5.41 crore, 53 peddlers were arrested in a total of 43 cases in the corresponding period last year. In 2022, drugs worth Rs 1.80 was seized and 70 peddlers were arrested.
According to statistics sourced from the ANC, the contraband seized in 2024 includes- 9kg charas, 2 kg mephedrone (MD), 29kg ganja (cannabis), 500-gram heroin and 500 grams cocaine.
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The ANC also seized large quantities of scheduled drugs like cough syrup bottles containing codeine phosphate and tablets of methamphetamine (also known as MDMA or Ecstasy)-which are said to be powerful intoxicants having stringent norms for its sale and purchase.
"Apart from the crackdowns to weed out the drug menace from the region, our team under the guidance of commissioner-Madhukar Pandey and other senior officers have been regularly conducting awareness campaigns against drugs. However, parents should also keep an eye on their children to ensure that they don't land in the ugly world of drug addiction due to bad company," said police inspector Amar Marathe of the ANC. Meanwhile more than 900 people in the twin-city were booked for drug consumption related offences this year.
Rs 327 Crore Single Drug Cache
In addition to the yearly seizures, the crime branch unit (Zone I) busted the entire chain of a well-oiled inter-state drug syndicate suspected to have its links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in July 2024.
While a total of 15 people were arrested from four states including Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, mephedrone (MD) drug, raw material and manufacturing apparatus worth more than Rs 327 crore was seized in the 45-day long operation.
