In the second major drug bust within a week, Delhi Police seized 208 kg of cocaine valued at Rs 2,080 crore from a rented shop in west Delhi, an official revealed on Thursday evening.
The drugs were concealed inside plastic snack packets labelled “Tasty Treat” and “Chatpata Mixture”. Around 20-25 such packets, stored in cartons, were discovered in a small, narrow shop in Ramesh Nagar, west Delhi, the official said.
This seizure is connected to an earlier haul of 562 kg of drugs worth over Rs 5,000 crore from Mahipalpur in southwest Delhi, he added.
The recovered cocaine weighs approximately 208 kg and holds a value of Rs 2,080 crore in the international market.
According to sources, the consignment was stored by an Indian-origin UK citizen who is now on the run.
“We received a tip-off during the investigation of our previous seizure and arrest. On Thursday evening, a Special Cell team was sent to the shop and recovered the consignment,” a police officer explained.
The UK citizen, identified by the police, fled before the team arrived. He had rented the shop just a few days earlier, the officer said, noting that two individuals, including the shop owner, have been detained for questioning.
The shop owner informed the police that it had been rented for a garment business, the officer added.
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It is suspected that the UK citizen planned to transport the drug consignment to other parts of the country but fled after the earlier police seizure.
On October 2, the Special Cell seized over 560 kg of cocaine and 40 kg of hydroponic marijuana, estimated to be worth Rs 5,620 crore, from a warehouse in Mahipalpur, south Delhi, and arrested four individuals. Two more were later apprehended in Amritsar and Chennai.
Earlier in the day, a man named Akhlak, from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, became the seventh person arrested in connection with the case.
Police sources revealed that the syndicate was allegedly run by Dubai-based businessman Virender Basoya, who operated the racket with the assistance of Tushar Goyal and Jitender Gill, alias Jassi, both of whom were arrested.
A lookout circular (LOC) has been issued against Basoya, who remains at large. The police suspect he is part of an international syndicate with various roles assigned to different individuals.
Most members of the syndicate are unaware of each other, operating under code names on social media platforms, according to police sources.
A senior officer involved in the investigation stated that a total of 700 kg of cocaine, valued at over Rs 7,000 crore, has been recovered from the capital so far.
These seizures are linked to the same syndicate, which allegedly brought the consignment via sea routes from South America to Goa.
The police suspect that additional consignments may be stored elsewhere or already transported to other locations. Raids are being conducted across Delhi and the NCR to apprehend the remaining members of the drug syndicate.
(With inputs from PTI)
