6 Arrested After India's Anti-Drug Agency Seizes Illegal Substances Worth $14.6 Mln

Security agencies in India have recovered hundreds of kilograms of illicit drugs worth millions of dollars this year. Last month, Delhi Police arrested two foreign nationals and seized banned substances including methamphetamines and heroin worth $146 million.

Six persons were arrested after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), India's top agency investigating drug trafficking and use of illegal substances, seized drugs worth $14.6 million from Gujarat and Mumbai, the agency said on Friday.

While two were arrested in Maharashtra's capital city Mumbai, another six were held in Gujarat state.

"Acting on an input, NCB recovered approximately 50 kg of MD drugs concealed in a godown in Mumbai. Two people including the kingpin of the cartel were arrested. Both of the accused are from Mumbai," Deputy Director General of NCB, S.K. Singh told reporters.

"Initially, info regarding the sale of MD drugs in Gujarat was shared by the Naval Intelligence Unit of Jamnagar, Gujarat. This input was jointly developed by NCB and the Naval Intelligence Unit and seized around 10.350 kg of MD drugs and 4 persons were arrested," he added.

Among the six arrested is a former pilot named Sohail Gaffar, who was earlier an employee of the country's erstwhile public sector airline, Air India. Having undergone training in the United States, he left his job some time ago, citing medical reasons.

However, this isn't the first instance of drugs being recovered from Gujarat and the Maharashtra capital in 2022.

Two hundred kg of illegal substances were picked up during a raid in Vadodara while another 260 kg of drugs were recovered from Kandla, a seaport and town in the Kutch district of Gujarat, in April.

In another case, over 200 kg of drugs were seized from Mumbai city last month.

However, in what was perhaps one of the biggest drug busts in independent India, heroin worth $2.55 billion was seized from Mundra port in Gujarat last year.