Latest news with #NarcoticsDrugsandPsychotropicSubstances
Time of India
7 days ago
- Time of India
Andhra Pradesh's EAGLE intensify financial investigation to seizure illegal assets of ganja smugglers and their relatives
VISAKHAPATNAM: With the ganja smugglers making huge profits, the Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) intensified the financial investigation to identify and seize properties of the smugglers and their close relatives. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The teams have identified more than twelve smugglers in the state who had amassed the illegal assets and the teams have decided to take the support of the officials of the other states to intensify their investigation. The 'Sheelavathi' variety of cannabis grown in Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) has a huge market and found its way to various cities and states, including Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other places in the country. As the demand for the Sheelavathi variety weed rose across the nation, smugglers from parts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha made substantial profits. EAGLE team have been trained on financial investigation modalities in NDPS cases as part of efforts to combat the drug menace. Under Chapter 5A of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, law enforcement agencies are granted the authority to seize, freeze and forfeit assets derived from or used in illegal drug trafficking activities, said senior IPS officer and chief of EAGLE, Ake Ravi Krishna. Our teams have been on the job to conclude the financial investigation into a total of 12 cases, in which the smugglers have amassed illegal assets by being involved in cannabis trade. We have come across a few cases wherein illegal assets were kept in benami names and also their relatives' names. Soon our teams freeze bank accounts, and seize the moveable and immovable properties of those smugglers. However, the confiscated smugglers' assets must be confirmed by a competent authority under the NDPS Act and courts, Ake Ravi Krishna added. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now We will seek the support of the officials of the other states to expose the illegal assets of inter-state ganja smugglers in the coming days, he added. Recently, the enforcement officials in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district seized the properties worth over Rs17 lakh of Perumal Srinu which were funded through cannabis smuggling. He had acquired the properties using proceeds from smuggling operations across ASR, Vizianagaram districts in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana. These properties were registered in the names of his wife and relatives in an attempt to conceal their illicit origin. Similarly, the officials in Vizianagaram district seized the properties worth over Rs48 lakh of Pati Khila alias Guru (32), a native of Basuput in Koraput district of Odisha for his involvement in various cannabis smuggling cases in Andhra Pradesh. Once the confiscation order is issued by the competent authority, the government can auction the seized properties of the ganja smugglers. The officials said they are freezing properties of the ganja smugglers during investigation and attaching them after conviction. We have been coordinating with officials of banks, revenue department, prosecutors and sources to ensure the confiscation of the illegal assets and financial sources linked to accused ganja smugglers, the officials added
Indian Express
08-08-2025
- Indian Express
Customs seizes hydroponic weed from Mumbai airport passenger, airline staff member held with gold dust
The Mumbai Customs officers on Friday arrested a passenger and an airline official at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in separate cases and allegedly seized one kilogram of hydroponic weed worth approximately RS 94 lakh and gold dust valued at Rs 2.78 crore, respectively, from them. In the first case, officials of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs Department laid a trap and intercepted a passenger who had arrived from Bangkok. During the search, the person was found to be hiding 947 grams of greenish coloured lumps purported to be hydroponic weed of marijuana. The contraband, also called hydro ganja, was concealed in vacuum-sealed plastic packets and kept inside a trolley bag of the passenger. The panchnama was conducted in front of witnesses, and the passenger was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. In the second case, an AIU team intercepted an airline staff member on the airport premises after receiving information that he was carrying gold illegally. During the search, the gold dust mixed with wax and weighing around 3,020 grams was found concealed inside innerwear and in a specially designed belt. The individual was arrested under the Customs Act, 1962. The officials are interrogating the accused to get the inputs regarding the source of the gold and the supplier, said a Customs officer. On Wednesday night, the Customs agency arrested a person on his arrival at the Mumbai airport and seized suspected hydroponic cannabis weed valued at Rs 14.5 crore from his possession. The passenger was trying to smuggle the contraband, also called hydro ganja, by concealing it under clothes in his trolley bag. During the examination of the baggage, the officers recovered 14.548 kg of greenish product, which was later confirmed it be hydroponic weed or marijuana, which has an illicit market value of approximately ₹14.5 crore. The Customs Department said that it was currently reviewing the international travel history of the arrested individuals who were arrested to ascertain if they had travelled abroad for the same purpose.
Indian Express
02-08-2025
- Indian Express
Pimpri Chinchwad police invoke stringent MCOCA against 13 criminal gangs
The Pimpri-Chinchwad police have invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against 13 notorious criminal gangs operating in the city. In the past month, 57 members of these gangs, involved in at least 13 serious offences across multiple police stations, have been booked under MCOCA, the police said on Friday. According to a press release, the crackdown was initiated following directives from Police Commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey. Kalyani Deshpande (56), of Pashan-Sus Road, and three of her aides were arrested for marijuana trafficking registered t the Bavdhan police station on May 25 under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police said Deshpande's gang has been linked to six serious offences. In another case, gangster Shubham Pokharkar (21) and four aides were arrested for murder in a case lodged at Dehu Road police station. The gang is allegedly involved in six criminal cases. Narayan Ghawate and his five aides, including a minor, have also been booked under MCOCA for their involvement in an attempted murder case at Mhalunge MIDC police station. Police said this gang, too, has been linked to six offences. Among the other gangs booked is one led by Ashish alias Bona Sojwal (26), whose group, including a minor, was arrested in a robbery case registered at Hinjewadi police station. Sojwal's gang is allegedly involved in nine offences. Eight members of a gang led by Chetan Ramlal Kushwaha have been booked under MCOCA in connection with a kidnapping case at MIDC Bhosari police station. Police said the gang has committed five serious offences. The police have also invoked MCOCA against Pravez alias Sonu Javed Maniyar (24) and two of his associates, linked to 18 offences, including robbery at Chinchwad police station. Similarly, gangster Akash Pandurang Mohol alias Akya Bond and two aides, allegedly involved in 18 criminal cases, including extortion at Chikhali police station, have been booked. Action under MCOCA has also been taken against Chandu Gorakh Sakat (38) and his two aides, arrested for attempted murder at Dehu Road police station, with the gang linked to eight serious offences. History-sheeter Vishal Manik Raut and four aides have been booked for four cases, including cheating at Chakan police station. Another gang, led by Javed Sayyad, comprising seven members, has been linked to seven cases, including attempted murder at Sant Tukaram police station. Additionally, the police invoked MCOCA against Vighnesh Gunshilan Rangam (23) and two gang members involved in 10 offences, including a robbery in the Sangvi police station jurisdiction. Aniruddha alias Vicky alias Bala Jadhav (28) and his associates, including a minor, were booked for 12 serious offences, while Shakeel Kazi (23) and two aides, arrested in a robbery case at MIDC Bhosari, are accused in eight serious offences, police said.
Hindustan Times
29-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: Man caught with banned injections gets 10-year jail
A special court dealing with Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cases sentenced a man to 10 years in jail for drug peddling. The case was registered at Sector-34 police station. (HT photo for representation) The convict, Mandeep Singh, a resident of Burail, had been caught by the UT police in September 2018 with 13 injections of buprenorphine and 13 of pheniramine maleate. As per the prosecution, on September 9, 2018, a police team was patrolling in Sector-45D city when they noticed a man walking from Sector-45 towards Mandi Ground with a bag. On seeing the police, he changed his route from the slip road and tried to escape. On the basis of suspicion, police chased the said youngster and found a cardboard box, containing 26 banned injections – 13 of buprenorphine and 13 of pheniramine maleate. The health department confirmed that these injections are banned and the accused did not have any permission to carry them or keep them with him. The case was registered at Sector-34 police station.
Indian Express
28-07-2025
- Indian Express
Mumbai Police bust MD manufacturing unit in Mysore, seize drugs worth Rs 381 crore, four arrested
The Mumbai Police have busted a mephedrone (MD) manufacturing racket in Mysore, Karnataka, and seized the drug worth Rs 381 crore. Police also arrested four members of the MD manufacturing and supplying racket. At a press conference on Monday, Mumbai Police said that the Sakinaka police in April this year had arrested three people and seized over four kilograms of MD and other raw materials totally worth Rs 8.04 crore from a place in Vasai, Palghar. One of the key accused of the racket, Salim Imtiyaz Shaikh, alias Salim Langda, has since been on the run. After constantly following leads on Shaikh, a Bandra (West) resident, the Sakinaka police team arrested him on July 25. During interrogation, Shaikh revealed that he had brought MD drugs from Mysore, Karnataka. A police team, with the help of other technical probes, discovered that an MD manufacturing unit was being operated from Mysore, Karnataka. A watch was kept on the factory and the information was verified. Mumbai police DCP Dutta Nalawade of Zone-10 said, 'A team of Sakinaka police along with the local police on Sunday raided the said factory situated behind a garage on the service road of the Ring Road of Mysore city and seized MD drugs, raw material (chemicals), equipment and machines, etc., totally worth nearly Rs 382 crore. This included 187.97 kilograms of MD worth Rs 381 crore as per the estimated international price of MD.' Police also arrested four members of the racket linked to manufacturing of MD at the unit. The arrested accused have been charged under relevant sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. DCP Nalawde's team included senior inspector Pramod Tawde, inspector Sanjay Shirsagar, API Dayanand Wanve, PSI Pankaj Pardeshi, and staff Shashikant Patil, Chandrakant Pawar, Nitin Khairmode, and Anil Kharade. Police probe has also revealed that among the four arrested, one is from Mumbai, two are from Gujarat and one is from Mysore. Another police officer said that the arrested accused have sound knowledge in chemistry and cooking mephedrone using raw material available in the pharmaceutical industry. Police officials have also found that the arrested eight accused have a history of NDPS (drugs) cases. Further investigation is underway.
