The Delhi Police Special Cell has seized over 83 kg of heroin worth ₹332 crore in the last one week in four different operations, the police said on Friday.
The annual crime data shared by Delhi Police in January 2019 stated that the Special Cell had seized 168 kg heroin in 2018. The latest seizures are about half of the total amount seized last year.
Deputy Commissioners of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah and Sanjeev Kumar Yadav whose teams conducted the four operations said 11 accused, including a woman from Assam, have been arrested.
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The first operation was conducted on March 7, which led to the recovery of 44.5 kg heroin from a drug cartel being operated from North East. The police claimed that the cartel was being run by Shamuta Banu.
Mr. Kushwah said specific information was received that Dhanji Gupta and Dheeraj Kumar would come to deliver a consignment near Indraprastha Park after which a trap was laid and they were apprehended. “They had come in an autorickshaw. On checking their bags, 21 kg heroin was seized from their possession,” the officer said.
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During interrogation, the accused told the police that they were ordered by Banu to deliver in Delhi, which will be further supplied in North India.
A team was then sent to Assam and following a raid, the woman was arrested on March 12. The police said they seized 23.5 kg of heroin seized from her house.
In the operation, the police claimed to have unearthed an international cartel in which heroin was procured from Myanmar. “She received crude heroin from a person in Manipur, who used to procure it from Myanmar. The drug would then be processed using chemicals and further sold in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal via Delhi,” Mr. Kushwah said.
The second operation was conducted on March 8 in which Manipur residents — Mohd Sikander and Mohd Umar — who were earlier identified as carriers of Bareilly-based kingpin Tasleem alias Mamu, were arrested. “An information was received that they would come to Prahladpur Road to deliver a consignment to a contact of Mamu following which a trap was laid. They were seen coming in an SUV. They were then apprehended and drugs were seized from their bag, car’s cavity and inside a deflated tyre,” Mr. Yadav said, adding that 32 kg heroin was seized.
The accused allegedly told the police that they procured heroin from Assam at the behest of Mamu and delivered to smugglers in Delhi, UP, and to those who further send it to USA, Afghanistan and Middle East countries.
On March 12, three Afghan nationals identified as Ehsanullah (28), Mohammad Amin (47) and Abdul Razzak (43) and Nigerian national Nnadozie Emmanuel (32) were arrested and 2.5 kg heroin worth Rs 10 crore in international market was recovered from their possession, Mr Kushwah said.
During interrogation, accused allegedly told police that the heroin was smuggled in India after swallowing the capsules, which were later extracted from the excreted faeces. Each capsules weigh about 20 grams and each carrier can carry few dozen capsules at one go, the DCP said.