Mumbai:The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized 13 kilograms of hybrid strain ganja worth Rs 15 crore being smuggled into Mumbai from Thailand, and apprehended a man from Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, officials said on Friday. The NCB said it suspects that the consignment of drugs was being smuggled into the city for the upcoming New Year celebrations.
"Based on specific information about the consignment of drugs that was to be smuggled into the city, an NCB team mounted vigilance and identified suspicious baggage," he said.
The baggage was in transit from Bangkok to Mumbai on a Thai Airways flight, he said, adding that the baggage was traced to the Mumbai airport on Tuesday.
"After opening the bags, the NCB recovered 13 kilograms of hybrid strain ganja worth Rs 15 crore," he said. The investigation into the seizure led the DRI officials to Kolhapur, from where they apprehended a man on Thursday, he said.
During his interrogation, the NCB team collected evidence against the suspect and further probe into the case was underway, he said. In another operation conducted on December 9, the NCB recovered 489 hydroponic ganja, worth Rs 20 lakh, which was being grown in a controlled environment in the bedroom of an accused person.
The action was followed by a drug trafficking alert through Dark Web, he said. Based on the information and technical intelligence gathering the NCB team obtained input about a parcel concealing illicit drugs heading to Mumbai. The parcel was then tracked and seized at a post office in Mumbai which resulted in the recovery of 1.23 grams of Mescaline, he said, adding a controlled delivery was initiated and the receiver was intercepted.
During the house search, hydroponic ganja plants weighing 489 grams were recovered. They were being grown in a controlled environment in the bedroom, he said.
After the interrogation, the receiver was arrested. During his questioning, the accused person admitted that the seized parcel was booked for procurement of illicit drugs through the Dark Web, he said, adding investigation into the case is underway.
