Drug syndicate with Thailand-Dubai links busted in Delhi, six nabbed

Six men were arrested for allegedly smuggling narcotics from Bangkok to India and pushing it into Delhi-NCR through a network of carriers, with profits routed abroad to kingpins based in Dubai and Thailand, an official said on Saturday.

High-quality cannabis weighing about 5.7 kg along with three vehicles and two passports was recovered from them, police said, adding that the crackdown has disrupted a cross-border trafficking module running on the Thailand-India route.

The syndicate purchased ‘OG Ganja’ (high quality cannabis) in Bangkok for around Rs 1.5 lakh per kilogram and sold it in Delhi-NCR for Rs 6.7 lakh per kilogram, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said.

The proceeds were allegedly routed through multiple bank accounts to a Dubai-based handler named Ishan, the DCP said.

“Carriers were lured with promises of foreign trips, easy commissions and cash. They were flown to Bangkok, where local suppliers handed over sealed packets of cannabis,” he added.

On their return to airports in Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh or Mumbai, they delivered the consignments to the receivers in India, who ensured further distribution.

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The accused have been identified as — Mehraj Khan (42), a garment shop owner from Tilak Nagar, Pratap Singh (32), a former travel agent from Nilothi, Anil Kumar Singh (37), a former Bangkok resident from Azamgarh, Surjeet Singh (34), an auto driver from Chander Vihar, Harpreet Singh (27), a carrier from Vikas Puri Extension, and Rajwant Singh (49), an auto driver from Nihal Vihar.

The operation began on August 26 when the police intercepted Pratap Singh and Mehraj Khan in Keshopur Mandi. The duo were caught with 3.708 kg of narcotics concealed in two cars.

A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered and both were arrested.

Following their interrogation, the police traced the syndicate’s alleged key supplier, Anil Kumar Singh, to Hyderabad.

Anil was nabbed on Monday and a subsequent raid at his native village in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, led to the recovery of another 2.029 kg of cannabis from his car, the DCP said.

Further investigation led to the arrest of Harpreet Singh, Rajwant Singh and Surjeet Singh from Delhi’s Chander Vihar on Tuesday. The trio played active roles in arranging carriers and facilitating smuggling operations on the directions of Ishan, police said.

Further investigation is underway to trace the Dubai-based handler and other international links of the cartel.