NCB in joint op with Special Cell, Delhi Police busts international drug trafficking network

New Delhi [India], February 24 : Narcotics Control Bureau Headquarters, in a joint operation with the Special Cell of Delhi Police, claimed to have busted an international drug trafficking gang network involved in the trafficking of precursor chemicals, officials said on Saturday.
The drug network was spread over India, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia, NCB's spokesperson said in a statement.
During the operation, three people have been arrested, and a massive seizure of 50kg of pseudoephedrine has been made in Delhi.
The drugs were being trafficked through air and sea cargo in the guise of food products like Health Mix Powder, Desiccated Coconut, etc., he said.
"The mastermind of the nexus has been identified as a Tamil film producer who is on the run. "Efforts are being made to nab him so that the source of pseudoephedrine can be ascertained," the spokesperson said.
The entire transnational network Information was received from New Zealand customs authorities and Australian police that large quantities of pseudoephedrine concealed in desiccated coconut powder were being sent to both countries. Further input from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration indicated that the source of the consignments was Delhi, he said.
Pseudoephedrine is used to make methamphetamine, which is the highest drug in demand worldwide and sells for approximately Rs 1.5 crore per kilogram in Australia and New Zealand, it added.
To dismantle the drug trafficking gang, a joint team of the Delhi police special cell and NCB was constituted.
After 4 months of intensive technical and field surveillance by teams of the NCB and Delhi police special cell, it was learned that these operatives were in Delhi again and were trying to send another consignment to Australia, the statement added.
"24-hour physical surveillance was mounted by the Delhi police special cell, which eventually led to their godown in Basai Darapur, West Delhi," the NCB spokesperson said.
"On February 15, when the operatives were trying to pack the pseudoephedrine in a cover consignment of multigrain food mix, the joint teams of the Delhi police special cell and NCB raided the compound, leading to the recovery of 50 kilograms of pseudoephedrine," the spokesperson said.
"Three operatives of this cartel (all from Tamil Nadu) were arrested on the spot. After sustained interrogation, they have revealed that a total of 45 consignments were sent over the past 3 years by them, containing approximately 3500 kilograms of pseudoephedrine valued at over Rs 2000 crore in the international market," he said.
NCB has reached out to New Zealand and Australian authorities to apprehend the operatives based in the respective countries to bust the entire network, the spokesperson added.